§ 37-1601 — Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact

The Legislature hereby adopts the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact and enters into such compact with all states legally joining the compact in the form substantially as contained in this section.
Article I
Definitions
For purposes of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact:
(1) Citation means any summons, complaint, summons and complaint, ticket, penalty assessment, or other official document that is issued to a person by a wildlife officer or other peace officer for a wildlife violation and that contains an order requiring the person to respond;
(2) Collateral means any cash or other security deposited to secure an appearance for trial in connection with the issuance by a wildlife officer or other peace officer of a citation for a wildlife violation;
(3) Compliance means, with respect to a citation, the act of answering a citation through an appearance in a court or tribunal, or through the payment of fines, costs, and surcharges, if any;
(4) Conviction means a conviction, including any court conviction, for any offense that is related to the preservation, protection, management, or restoration of wildlife and that is prohibited by state statute, law, regulation, commission order, ordinance, or administrative rule. The term also includes the forfeiture of any bail, bond, or other security deposited to secure appearance by a person charged with having committed any such offense, the payment of a penalty assessment, a plea of nolo contendere, and the imposition of a deferred or suspended sentence by the court;
(5) Court means a court of law, including magistrate's court and the justice of the peace court, if any;
(6) Home state means the state of primary residence of a person;
(7) Issuing state means the participating state which issues a wildlife citation to the violator;
(8) License means any license, permit, or other public document that conveys to the person to whom it was issued the privilege of pursuing, possessing, or taking any wildlife regulated by statute, law, regulation, commission order, ordinance, or administrative rule of a participating state;
(9) Licensing authority means the Game and Parks Commission or the department or division within each participating state that is authorized by law to issue or approve licenses or permits to hunt, fish, trap, or possess wildlife;
(10) Participating state means any state that enacts legislation to become a member of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact;
(11) Personal recognizance means an agreement by a person made at the time of issuance of the wildlife citation that such person will comply with the terms of the citation;
(12) State means any state, territory, or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the provinces of Canada, and other countries;
(13) Suspension means any revocation, denial, or withdrawal of any or all license privileges, including the privilege to apply for, purchase, or exercise the benefits conferred by any license;
(14) Terms of the citation means those conditions and options expressly stated in the citation;
(15) Wildlife means all species of animals including mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, mollusks, and crustaceans, which are defined as wildlife and are protected or otherwise regulated by statute, law, regulation, commission order, ordinance, or administrative rule in a participating state. Species included in the definition of wildlife for purposes of the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact are based on state or local law;
(16) Wildlife law means the Game Law or any statute, law, regulation, commission order, ordinance, or administrative rule developed and enacted for the management of wildlife resources and the uses thereof;
(17) Wildlife officer means any conservation officer and any individual authorized by a participating state to issue a citation for a wildlife violation; and
(18) Wildlife violation means any cited violation of a statute, law, regulation, commission order, ordinance, or administrative rule developed and enacted for the management of wildlife resources and the uses thereof.
Article II
Procedures for Issuing State
When issuing a citation for a wildlife violation, a wildlife officer shall issue a citation to any person whose primary residence is in a participating state in the same manner as though the person were a resident of the issuing state and may not require such person to post collateral to secure appearance if the officer receives the personal recognizance of such person that the person will comply with the terms of the citation.
Personal recognizance is acceptable:
(1) If not prohibited by state or local law or the compact manual; and
(2) If the violator provides adequate proof of identification to the wildlife officer.
Upon conviction or failure of a person to comply with the terms of a wildlife citation, the appropriate official shall report the conviction or failure to comply to the licensing authority of the issuing state.
Upon receipt of the report of conviction or noncompliance, the licensing authority of the issuing state shall transmit such information to the licensing authority of the home state of the violator.
Article III
Procedures for Home State
Upon receipt of a report from the licensing authority of the issuing state reporting the failure of a violator to comply with the terms of a citation, the licensing authority of the home state shall notify the violator and may initiate a suspension action in accordance with the home state's suspension procedures and may suspend the violator's license privileges until satisfactory evidence of compliance with the terms of the wildlife citation has been furnished by the issuing state to the home state licensing authority. Due process safeguards shall be accorded.
Upon receipt of a report of conviction from the licensing authority of the issuing state, the licensing authority of the home state may enter such conviction in its records and may treat such conviction as though it had occurred in the home state for the purposes of the suspension of license privileges if the violation resulting in such conviction could have been the basis for suspension of license privileges in the home state.
The licensing authority of the home state shall maintain a record of actions taken and shall make reports to issuing states.
Article IV
Reciprocal Recognition of Suspension
All participating states may recognize the suspension of license privileges of any person by any participating state as though the violation resulting in the suspension had occurred in their state and could have been the basis for suspension of license privileges in their state.
Each participating state shall communicate suspension information to other participating states.
Article V
Applicability of Other Laws
Except as expressly required by the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact, nothing in the compact may be construed to affect the right of any participating state to apply any of its laws relating to license privileges to any person or circumstance or to invalidate or prevent any agreement or other cooperative arrangement between a participating state and a nonparticipating state concerning wildlife law enforcement.
Article VI
Withdrawal from Compact
A participating state may withdraw from participation in the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact by enacting a statute repealing the compact and by official written notice to each participating state. Withdrawal shall not become effective until ninety days after the notice of withdrawal is given. The notice shall be directed to the compact administrator of each participating state. Withdrawal of any state does not affect the validity of the compact as to the remaining participating states.
Article VII
Construction and Severability
The Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact shall be liberally construed so as to effectuate its purposes. The provisions of the compact are severable, and if any phrase, clause, sentence, or provision of the compact is declared to be contrary to the constitution of any participating state or the United States, or the applicability thereof to any government, agency, individual, or circumstance is held invalid, the validity of the remainder of the compact is not affected thereby. If the compact is held contrary to the constitution of any participating state, the compact remains in full force and effect as to the remaining states and in full force and effect as to the participating state affected as to all severable matters.
Article VIII
Responsible State Entity
The Game and Parks Commission is authorized on behalf of the state to enter into the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact. The commission shall enforce the compact and shall do all things within the jurisdiction of the commission that are appropriate in order to effectuate the purposes and the intent of the compact. The commission may adopt and promulgate rules and regulations necessary to carry out and consistent with the compact.
The commission may suspend the hunting, trapping, or fishing privileges of any resident of this state who has failed to comply with the terms of a citation issued for a wildlife violation in any participating state. The suspension shall remain in effect until the commission receives satisfactory evidence of compliance from the participating state. The commission shall send notice of the suspension to the resident, who shall surrender all current Nebraska hunting, trapping, or fishing licenses to the commission within ten days.
The resident may, within twenty days of the notice, request a review or hearing in accordance with section 37-618 . Following the review or hearing, the commission, through its authorized agent, may, based on the evidence, affirm, modify, or rescind the suspension of privileges.

Legislative History

Source: Laws 2017, LB566, § 1. Cross References: Game Law, see section 37-201.