0001| HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 33 | 0002| 42ND LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - SECOND SESSION, | 0003| 1996 | 0004| INTRODUCED BY | 0005| CISCO MCSORLEY | 0006| | 0007| | 0008| | 0009| | 0010| | 0011| A JOINT MEMORIAL | 0012| REQUESTING THE COURTS, CORRECTIONS AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE | 0013| COMMITTEE TO EXAMINE LAWS AGAINST POACHING TO RECOMMEND | 0014| IMPROVEMENTS FOR THE EFFECTIVE PREVENTION OF POACHING AND TO | 0015| REAFFIRM THE IMPORTANCE OF CONTROLLING THE PROBLEM OF WILDLIFE | 0016| POACHING AND ENSURING PUBLIC SAFETY. | 0017| | 0018| WHEREAS, poaching, the illegal taking of wildlife, is a | 0019| tremendous problem in our state and in the United States; and | 0020| WHEREAS, poaching is done by commercial poachers stealing | 0021| wildlife for profit as well as people who do not understand | 0022| their contribution to a very serious problem, and poaching | 0023| endangers people and property; and | 0024| WHEREAS, poachers operate worldwide, illegally trading | 0025| wildlife parts that are worth more on the black market than | 0001| cocaine, crack cocaine and heroin. A bear's gallbladder, for | 0002| example, can bring up to fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) on the | 0003| black market in Asia, and such illegal trade is often connected | 0004| to weapons and drug crimes; and | 0005| WHEREAS, poachers often deal in bear gallbladders, paws and | 0006| meat, eagle feathers, elk antlers, bobcat pelts, snake skins, | 0007| walrus tusks and trophy heads of many animals; and | 0008| WHEREAS, poachers prey particularly on western populations | 0009| of black bear, grizzly bear, elk, moose, deer, bighorn sheep, | 0010| mountain lion and snakes; and | 0011| WHEREAS, horrendous crimes against our wildlife heritage | 0012| have been committed in New Mexico; and | 0013| WHEREAS, the department of game and fish estimates that for | 0014| the twenty thousand deer taken legally each year, up to fifty | 0015| thousand additional deer are taken illegally; and | 0016| WHEREAS, overhunting and overfishing due to poaching is | 0017| detrimental to lawful hunting and fishing and endangers the | 0018| health of the whole resource; and | 0019| WHEREAS, poaching is often a violent crime resulting in | 0020| death or injury to landowners, innocent witnesses and law | 0021| enforcement officers and damage to property; and | 0022| WHEREAS, the anti-poaching laws of the states may be | 0023| inconsistent, ineffective and inadequately enforced; and | 0024| WHEREAS, penalties for poaching seem not to be a sufficient | 0025| deterrent to poachers; and | 0001| WHEREAS, the wild friends youth of New Mexico have made | 0002| improvement of poaching laws a priority for action in 1996; and | 0003| WHEREAS, magistrate judges should receive education about | 0004| the seriousness of the poaching problem, its effects, and the | 0005| laws concerning it through the state judicial education center, | 0006| and magistrate judges need to enforce the fines, penalties and | 0007| sentences for convicted poachers; and | 0008| WHEREAS, magistrate judges are not well enough aware of the | 0009| current poaching laws and the devastating effect poaching has on | 0010| the state's wildlife; and | 0011| WHEREAS, not only their property and livestock, but the | 0012| very lives of farmers and ranchers are at risk from poaching | 0013| criminals; and | 0014| WHEREAS, there are not enough conservation officers to | 0015| cover the huge tracts of land where poaching occurs; and | 0016| WHEREAS, we want people living in rural areas to have a | 0017| greater measure of safety from the violence and property crimes | 0018| associated with poaching; and | 0019| WHEREAS, an end to poaching will require not merely a | 0020| vision of ideals and morality, but rather a hard objective plan | 0021| to be reached through public support and effort; | 0022| NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE | 0023| STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the courts, corrections and criminal | 0024| justice committee be requested to examine existing penalties for | 0025| poaching and to consider increasing penalties to more serious | 0001| degrees of felony, including making it a felony to illegally | 0002| hunt on, or shoot onto, property without the owner's permission; | 0003| and | 0004| BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the appropriate committee be | 0005| requested to study revenue enhancements for wildlife law | 0006| enforcement through such means as the fish and wildlife | 0007| diversity funding initiative; and | 0008| BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that public education be increased, | 0009| citizens be encouraged to use the operation game thief hotline | 0010| and that hunters be required to take hunter education classes; | 0011| and | 0012| BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be | 0013| transmitted to members of the courts, corrections and criminal | 0014| justice committee, the department of game and fish and the | 0015| legislative council. | 0016|  State of New Mexico | 0017| House of Representatives | 0018| | 0019| FORTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE | 0020| SECOND SESSION, 1996 | 0021| | 0022| February 1, l996 | 0023| | 0024| | 0025| Mr. Speaker: | 0001| | 0002| Your RULES AND ORDER OF BUSINESS COMMITTEE, to | 0003| whom has been referred | 0004| | 0005| HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 33 | 0006| | 0007| has had it under consideration and finds same to be | 0008| GERMANE in accordance with constitutional provisions. | 0009| | 0010| Respectfully submitted, | 0011| | 0012| | 0013| | 0014| | 0015| Barbara A. Perea Casey, | 0016| Chairperson | 0017| | 0018| | 0019| Adopted Not Adopted | 0020| | 0021| (Chief Clerk) (Chief Clerk) | 0022| | 0023| Date | 0024| | 0025| The roll call vote was 10 For 0 Against | 0001| Yes: 10 | 0002| Excused: Lujan, Olguin, Rodella, R. G. Sanchez, S. M. Williams | 0003| Absent: None | 0004| | 0005| HJ033RC1 State of New Mexico | 0006| House of Representatives | 0007| | 0008| FORTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE | 0009| SECOND SESSION, 1996 | 0010| | 0011| | 0012| February 10, 1996 | 0013| | 0014| | 0015| Mr. Speaker: | 0016| | 0017| Your JUDICIARY COMMITTEE, to whom has been referred | 0018| | 0019| HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 33 | 0020| | 0021| has had it under consideration and reports same with | 0022| recommendation that it DO PASS. | 0023| | 0024| Respectfully submitted, | 0025| | 0001| | 0002| | 0003| | 0004| Cisco McSorley, Chairman | 0005| | 0006| | 0007| Adopted Not Adopted | 0008| | 0009| (Chief Clerk) (Chief Clerk) | 0010| | 0011| Date | 0012| | 0013| The roll call vote was 7 For 2 Against | 0014| Yes: 7 | 0015| No: Christensen, Larranaga | 0016| Excused: Alwin, Gubbels, Sanchez, R.G. | 0017| Absent: Luna | 0018| | 0019| | 0020| | 0021| HJ033JC1 |