Bill description: This bill reduces unnecessary regulation for wildlife tanneries in Idaho.

Rating: +1

Analyst’s note: Tanneries are regulated in much the same way as taxidermists, while their business models, including the volume of wildlife processed, are completely different. Wildlife tanneries endure a tremendous amount of record keeping for the government. Idaho Code 36-603 says, “The department may require any person licensed under the provisions of this chapter to keep a record for two (2) years last past of wildlife received for mounting or preserving, furbearers purchased or raw black bear skins, raw cougar skins or parts of black bears or cougars purchased.” The statute goes on to require commercial tanneries “receiving wildlife from a licensed taxidermist or fur buyer, shall satisfy all recordkeeping requirements by recording the license numbers of such taxidermist or fur buyer, and recording tag numbers of any attached tags required by law. This provision shall not apply in the event a commercial tannery receives wildlife from a taxidermist or fur buyer from a state other than the state of Idaho, and the taxidermist or fur buyer is not required to be licensed in that state, in which case the tannery shall record the date received, the name, address and telephone number of the individual the wildlife was received from, and tag numbers of any attached tags required by law in the state of origin, the name and number of species received and the approximate date killed. Information so recorded shall be retained for a period of two (2) years.”

The bill would define a commercial tannery as “any person or entity whose primary business is the actual tanning of wildlife skins/hides, processes in excess of ten thousand (10,000) wildlife skins/hides per year, and receives more than seventy-five percent (75%) of its business via common carrier in interstate commerce.”

Does it create, expand, or enlarge any agency, board, program, function, or activity of Government?

This bill replaces the above record-keeping requirements with, “A commercial wildlife tannery shall record the name of the client, the client's address and telephone number, inventory of items in each order or shipment and the license numbers of such taxidermists, fur buyers, hunters, trappers, native American tribal identifications or zoological permits of clients personally delivering or shipping via common carrier, wildlife skins/hides, to the tannery. In cases where the shipper/client is legally exempt from the normal license, it must be so recorded and a copy of the legal authority to exempt must be kept on record. In cases where no license is required of the shipper/client, as per the regulations of the state in which he is domiciled or per applicable regulations of the origin of the wildlife, it must be so recorded,” and “A commercial wildlife tannery must record a compliance statement designed and provided by the tannery that must be signed by all shippers/clients.” The two-year record keeping requirement remains. (+1)