04/27/1995 08:48 AM House FSH

 SB 21 - FINES FOR COMMERCIAL FISHING VIOLATIONS                             
                                                                               
 Number 018                                                                    
                                                                               
 SENATOR RICK HALFORD, Prime Sponsor, SB 21, testified saying, "This           
 bill is familiar to those who were around last year but it's a                
 shadow of its former self.  Last year both houses passed                      
 legislation that increased the maximum violation penalties from               
 $3000 (to) $6000, to $6000, $12000.  These are maximums, not                  
 minimum mandatory, not minimums and the Court of Appeals'                     
 guidelines for the application of maximum penalties are fairly                
 stringent in that they have to represent the worst violations in              
 that class of violations.  The bill this year only adds an increase           
 in third and subsequent violations.  It is fairly straightforward."           
                                                                               
 SENATOR HALFORD continued, "The department (Department of Public              
 Safety) in 1993, really went out and worked at enforcement as a               
 deterrent to some of the activities that were going on in some of             
 the fisheries.  Former Deputy Commissioner Swackhammer was one of             
 the people that provided a lot of the original information for this           
 bill and a lot of the encouragement to go forward with it.  I                 
 believe in the worst kinds of cases that you need more potential              
 deterrent for multiple violators than are provided in existing law.           
 I don't think it will apply to that many people, but it will be               
 thought of by other people who will avoid those violations."                  
                                                                               
 CHAIRMAN AUSTERMAN agreed, "You've got to get the fines up.  It               
 makes it a deterrent for them to even consider doing their illegal            
 fishing across the lines."                                                    
                                                                               
 Number 087                                                                    
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE GARY DAVIS moved that CSSB 21(RES) be moved from               
 committee with individual recommendations.                                    
                                                                               
 There were no objections.