WEST virginia legislature
2018 regular session
Committee Substitute
for
Senate Bill 141
By Senator Sypolt
[Originating in the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development; reported on January 26, 2018]
A BILL to amend and reenact §7-7-6e of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to expanding the county assessment and collection of a head tax on breeding cows, if the owner participates in the Coyote Control Program.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
ARTICLE 7. COMPENSATION OF ELECTED COUNTY OFFICIALS.
§7-7-6e. Collection of
head tax on breeding age sheep, and goats and cows. duties
of county assessors and Commissioner of Agriculture; deposit of tax
collections; creation of special revenue fund; purposes
After June 30, 2005, it
shall be the duty of (a) The
county assessor and his or her deputies of each county within the state, at the
time they are making assessments of the personal property within such the
county, to shall assess and collect an assessment of $1 on all
breeding age sheep and, $1 on all breeding age goats and $1 on
all breeding age cows: Provided, That payment of the assessment on
breeding age cows is voluntary at the option of the cow owner: Provided,
however, That a cow owner who chooses not to pay the assessment is not
eligible to participate in the Coyote Control Program.
(b) The assessor collecting the assessment on breeding
age sheep, and goats and cows shall be allowed a commission of
ten percent upon all such the taxes collected and shall send the
Commissioner of Agriculture ninety90 percent of such taxes so
taxes collected, who shall deposit the same taxes in a
special account in the State Treasury to be known as the "Integrated
Predation Management Fund." Expenditures from the fund shall be for the
purposes set forth in this section and are not authorized from collections but
are to be made only in accordance with appropriation by the Legislature and in
accordance with the provisions of §12-3-1 et seq. of this code and upon
the fulfillment of the provisions set forth in §11B-2-1 et seq. of this
code: Provided, That for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2006,
expenditures are authorized from collections rather than pursuant to an
appropriation by the Legislature.
(c) The money in the fund shall be used by the commissioner solely to enter into a cooperative service agreement with the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and Wildlife Services (WS) to expand the Coyote Control Program statewide.
(d) Any person who does not pay this assessment is not eligible for the services provided by this cooperative agreement.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to expand the county assessment and collection of an optional head tax on breeding age cows for cow owners desiring to participate in the Coyote Control Program.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.