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General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 7051
January Session, 2025
AN ACT CONCERNING THE BLACK BEAR POPULATION IN THE
STATE.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) The Commissioner of 1
Energy and Environmental Protection, in conjunction with the 2
Commissioner of Emergency Services and Public Protection, shall 3
develop, and thereafter revise as necessary, a black bear management 4
plan to ensure public safety and the protection of property and maintain 5
a sustainable black bear population in the state. Such plan shall include, 6
but need not be limited to: (1) An assessment of the current black bear 7
population, and the desired future status of such population, in various 8
regions of the state, (2) recommendations for minimizing human and 9
black bear conflicts, (3) guidelines for public education initiatives 10
concerning management and conflict avoidance, (4) strategies for 11
nonlethal black bear deterrence and response, (5) an evaluation of 12
potential black bear population control measures, (6) protocols for the 13
public, the state and agencies, instrumentalities and political 14
subdivisions of the state to manage black bears that pose an imminent 15
threat to public safety or property, (7) recommendations for waste 16
management practices to reduce black bear attractants, and (8) strategies 17
for coordinating with municipalities, law enforcement officers and 18
interested parties to improve black bear safety measures. 19 Substitute Bill No. 7051
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(b) Not later than July 1, 2026, the Commissioner of Energy and 20
Environmental Protection shall submit the plan, in accordance with the 21
provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the joint standing 22
committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters 23
relating to public safety and the environment. If such plan is revised, the 24
commissioner shall submit such revised plan to said committees not 25
later than thirty days after the development of such revised plan. 26
Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective from passage) If the Commissioner of Energy 27
and Environmental Protection determines that the black bear 28
population in the state poses a threat to public safety, the commissioner 29
may request the Governor to issue an executive order to authorize any 30
appropriate black bear population control measures. 31
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 from passage New section
Sec. 2 from passage New section
PS Joint Favorable Subst.