H-1923.3  _______________________________________________

                          HOUSE BILL 2197

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      57th Legislature     2001 Regular Session

By Representative Bush

Read first time 02/23/2001.  Referred to Committee on Criminal Justice & Corrections.

Eliminating criminal sanctions for certain forms of pest control.

    AN ACT Relating to eliminating criminal penalties for trapping the common mouse, rat, or mole; and amending RCW 77.15.190.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

    Sec. 1.  RCW 77.15.190 and 1999 c 258 s 9 are each amended to read as follows:

    (1) A person is guilty of unlawful trapping if the person:

    (a) Sets out traps that are capable of taking wild animals, game animals, or furbearing mammals and does not possess all licenses, tags, or permits required under this title;

    (b) Violates any rule of the commission or director regarding seasons, bag or possession limits, closed areas including game reserves, closed times, or any other rule governing the trapping of wild animals; or

    (c) Fails to identify the owner of the traps or devices by neither (i) attaching a metal tag with the owner's department-assigned identification number or the name and address of the trapper legibly written in numbers or letters not less than one-eighth inch in height nor (ii) inscribing into the metal of the trap such number or name and address.

    (2) Trapping a common rat, mouse, or mole is not unlawful trapping.

(3) Unlawful trapping is a misdemeanor.

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