February 5, 2021 - Introduced by Senators Petrowski, Bewley, Cowles and
Marklein, cosponsored by Representatives Edming, Armstrong, Callahan,
Krug, Milroy, Moses, Mursau, Plumer, Rozar, Skowronski, Spiros, Tauchen
and VanderMeer. Referred to Committee on Sporting Heritage, Small
Business and Rural Issues.

SB63,1,10 1An Act to repeal 29.889 (2) (c), 29.889 (2) (d), 29.889 (3), 29.889 (4) (a), 29.889
2(6) (a), 29.889 (7) (b) 4., 29.889 (7) (bm) and 29.89 (3) (a); to renumber 29.889
3(7m) (ar) 1. and 2.; to consolidate, renumber and amend 29.889 (5) (b) and
4(c); to amend 20.370 (5) (fq), 29.889 (2) (a), 29.889 (4) (b), 29.889 (4) (c), 29.889
5(5) (a), 29.889 (5) (bm), 29.889 (5) (bs), 29.889 (6) (d), 29.889 (6) (em), 29.889 (6)
6(f), 29.889 (7) (a), 29.889 (7) (b) (intro.), 29.889 (7) (b) 2., 29.889 (7) (b) 3., 29.889
7(7) (d) 2., 29.889 (7m) (a), 29.889 (7m) (ar) (intro.), 29.889 (8g), 29.889 (8r) and
829.89 (5) (b) 2. c.; and to create 29.889 (5) (d) and 29.889 (7m) (ar) 2m. of the
9statutes; relating to: the wildlife damage abatement program and the wildlife
10damage claim program.

This bill makes changes to the wildlife damage abatement program and the
wildlife damage claim program.

Current law authorizes a person who owns, leases, or controls land on which
certain wild animals cause damage to crops or livestock (wildlife damage) to apply
to the county for wildlife damage claim payments and for wildlife damage abatement

assistance (wildlife damage payments). Wildlife damage for which a person is
eligible to receive wildlife damage payments includes damage caused by deer, bears,
geese, and cougars, as well as elk and sandhill cranes if hunting those animals is
authorized. Current law requires that, to be eligible for wildlife damage payments,
the location must be in a county that participates in the administration of these
programs. A county must apply to the Department of Natural Resources to
administer these programs, including in its application a plan of administration that
meets certain requirements. Once approved, DNR provides funding to the county for
the costs incurred in administering these programs.

Under current law and DNR rule, a county pays 75 percent of the actual costs
of providing wildlife damage abatement assistance, for which it is reimbursed by
DNR, and the person receiving the assistance pays 25 percent of the costs. DNR pays
wildlife damage claims directly.

Effective January 1, 2022, this bill removes counties from the administration
of these programs and requires DNR to administer the programs instead. The bill
specifies that, if DNR provides wildlife damage abatement assistance to a person, it
must determine the actual cost of providing that assistance and pay 75 percent of
that cost, leaving the remaining 25 percent as the responsibility of the recipient. The
bill eliminates a $10,000 limit under current law on the total amount that may be
paid to a claimant for each damage claim. The bill maintains the current law
requirement that DNR pay claimants on a prorated basis if there is not a sufficient
amount appropriated to pay all claims.

The bill also eliminates the requirement under current law that a county
participate in the administration of these programs in order to be eligible for
reimbursement by DNR for the costs that the county incurs in processing and
donating venison from certain deer carcasses and in processing and donating meat
from certain wild turkey carcasses.