WEST virginia legislature

2018 regular session

Enrolled

Committee Substitute

for

Committee Substitute

for

Senate Bill 141

Senator Sypolt, original sponsor

[Passed March 10, 2018; in effect 90 days from passage]

AN ACT 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; and providing for notice requirements to the land owner.

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, goats, and cows; notice requirement.

(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 the county, shall assess and collect an assessment of $1 on all breeding age sheep, $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, goats, and cows shall be allowed a commission of 10 percent upon the taxes collected and shall send the Commissioner of Agriculture 90 percent of the taxes collected, who shall deposit the 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.

(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 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 cooperative agreement.

            (e) If a cow owner elects to participate in the Coyote Control Program, within 30 days of such election, the cow owner shall 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.