The House has killed a bill that would require hunters to ask permission of landowners before coming onto private land.
The bill was passed in the Senate yesterday. It would have created an electronic database for landowners to register their land. Hunters could use the database to determine who the land belonged to so they could obtain permission. Land could still be posted manually, or not posted at all. Violators of the law would be charged with a class B misdemeanor on their first offense, and a class A misdemeanor on their second offense. Democratic Representative Marvin Nelson said he would not support the bill, because it just goes too far.
"It reminds me of Aesop's fable - where the person wanted to soften their bun with the steam from another person's pot. Here we are now, we're saying that a person whos steps foot on the land is such a criminal, that the state of North Dakota should come find him and imprison him for simply stepping foot on someone's land."
But Republican Representative Luke Simons supported the bill. He said it was important to respect the rights of private property owners.
"We're not reinventing the wheel, folks. This is like this in many other states - private property rights. We hold these truths to be self evident, that - what? Life, liberty, property. Right now there is a victim of a crime, and that is the land mass of North Dakota is being outvoted in this room by high populous areas that do not see the violation that is happening on our lands. All we ask is that you come on our land - with permission."
The bill ultimately failed on a vote of 44 to 48.