Signed by Governor Henry McMaster

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to amend and pass a bill that prohibits the release of any non-native species of animal into the wild.

Highlights:

• Authorizes the Department of Natural Resources to create rules for the appropriate management of native reptile and amphibian species, including limitations on, and permitting for, the possession, transfer, sale, barter, trade, shipment, and removal from this state of native reptile and amphibian species (Sec. 1).

• Prohibits possessing, transferring, selling, bartering, trading, shipping, or removing native reptile and amphibian species, including their parts, products, eggs, offspring, and derivatives thereof, from this state in violation of the rules established above (Sec. 1).

• Prohibits a person from releasing wildlife that is not native to this state from captivity in this state (Sec. 2).

• Authorizes the Department create regulations to prohibit or otherwise restrict certain species of non-native wildlife in this state, including species that (Sec. 2):

• Have the potential to become establishes in this state in sufficient numbers so as to become a nuisance; and

• Pose a demonstrable deleterious and widespread threat to wildlife, agriculture, or human health and safety.

• Specifies that the above highlights do not apply to the release of foxes and coyotes if authorized by law (Sec. 3).

• Specifies that the sanitary and safe disposal of dead wildlife is not a violation of this bill (Sec. 2).

• Prohibits a person from possessing, selling, bartering, trading, shipping, or removing the following native species of turtles, including parts, products, eggs, offspring, and derivatives thereof (Sec. 3):

• Florida cooter; 

• River cooter; 

• Chicken turtle; 

• Eastern painted turtle; 

• Spiny softshell turtle; 

• Florida softshell turtle; 

• Eastern mud turtle; 

• Striped mud turtle; 

• Common musk turtle; 

• Yellow-bellied slider; 

• Common snapping turtle; 

• Eastern box turtle; and

• Diamondback terrapin.

• Establishes the following personal possession limits, subject to an aggregate limit of 10 (Sec. 3):

• 5 Florida cooters; 

• 5 river cooters; 

• 5 chicken turtles; 

• 5 eastern painted turtles; 

• 5 spiny softshell turtles; 

• 5 Florida softshell turtles; 

• 5 eastern mud turtles; 

• 5 striped mud turtles; 

• 5 common musk turtles; 

• 5 yellow-bellied sliders; 

• 5 common snapping turtles; 

• 2 eastern box turtles; and

• 2iamondback terrapins.

• Specifies that a person who violates this bill or who fails to procure or violates the terms on a permit issued under a regulation created for this bill is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, will be fined up to $1,000, imprisoned up to 30 days, or both (Sec. 7).

• Specifies that a person who violates this bill or who fails to procure or violates the terms on a permit issued under a regulation created under section 50-15-40(D) is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, will be fined up to $2,500, imprisoned up to one year, or both (Sec. 7).

Full Bill Text