SB 1154 Summary

• Amends personal flotation device requirements for watercraft to specify that children 12 and under must wear properly fitting U.S. Coast Guard approved Type I, II, or III wearable personal flotation devices when the watercraft is underway, with exceptions for small passenger vessels operated by Coast Guard licensed pilots within specific conditions.

• Restructures civil penalty procedures for unlawful taking of wildlife under section 17-314, replacing damage assessment language with civil penalty authority vested in the Arizona Game and Fish Commission, allowing penalties to be doubled for second violations and tripled for third violations.

• Establishes the wildlife theft prevention fund to receive civil penalties from wildlife violations and authorizes expenditures for reward payments, the "Operation Game Thief" reporting system, fraud investigations related to licenses and permits, and investigations of unlawful commercial taking of wildlife.

• Modifies the jaguar protection statute to specify civil liability procedures and clarifies that persons killing or wounding a jaguar in self-defense must notify the department within five days and may not retain or remove the animal without authorization.

• Updates hunting license provisions to allow transfer of big game permits to minors with life-threatening medical conditions, minors with permanent physical disabilities, and veterans with service-connected disabilities through qualified nonprofit organizations, and permits parents or grandparents to allow minor children to use their permits under specified conditions.