WEST virginia legislature

2020 regular session

Committee Substitute

for

Senate Bill 142

Senators Sypolt, Hamilton, Jeffries, and Lindsay, original sponsors

[Originating in the Committee on Agricultural and Rural Development; reported on January 23, 2020]

A BILL to amend and reenact §7-7-6e of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to Coyote Control Program; providing for voluntary assessment on breeding-age cows to participate in Coyote Control Program; deleting language regarding expenditures for fiscal year ending June 30, 2006; requiring notice by certain cow owners participating in program; and making technical changes.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

ARTICLE 7. COMPENSATION OF ELECTED COUNTY OFFICIALS.

§7-7-6e. Collection of head tax on sheep and goats; duties of county assessors and Commissioner of Agriculture; deposit of tax collections; creation of special revenue fund; purposes. Coyote Control Program; purpose; assessment on breeding-age sheep, goats, and cows; participation; notice.

After June 30, 2005, it shall be the duty of the (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 county, 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.

(b) The assessor collecting the assessment on breeding-age sheep and goats shall be allowed a commission of 10 percent upon all such taxes moneys collected and shall send the Commissioner of Agriculture 90 percent of such taxes so the assessment collected, who shall deposit the same 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 moneys in the fund shall be used by the Commissioner of Agriculture solely to enter into a cooperative service agreement agreements with the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and Wildlife Services 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 the cooperative agreement agreements.

(e) Within 30 days of a cow owner’s election to participate in the Coyote Control Program, and prior to the placement of any control method on the land, the participating cow owner must provide written notice of his or her participation in the program to any landowner from whom the cow owner leases property to graze cattle and whose property may be affected by the cow owner’s participation in the program.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to expand the Coyote Control Program by providing for a voluntary assessment on breeding-age cows to participate in the 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.