AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 70, relative to wildlife resources.
Summary
HB2215 amends Tennessee wildlife law to address the feeding of black bears and related public-safety concerns. The bill makes it an offense to feed a black bear within areas where the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commission has proclaimed feeding black bears is prohibited. It distinguishes between intentional feeding and situations where a person unknowingly attracts bears by leaving food or garbage unsecured, with the latter carrying a warning for a first offense and a fine for repeat offenses.
The bill also authorizes the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency to enter into limited agreements with local law enforcement agencies to help enforce wildlife laws, rules, and commission proclamations. Those agreements are narrowly focused on public-safety issues involving human-wildlife interaction, must specify the exact laws being enforced, and require reporting to the agency’s executive director. The bill expressly states that local agencies may not exceed their jurisdiction and that the measure is not intended to affect lawful hunting activities.
Impact
The bill adds a new offense to Title 70 of the Tennessee Code and creates a misdemeanor penalty structure for prohibited black bear feeding, including a minimum $250 fine for intentional violations and repeat negligent violations. It also expands enforcement capacity by allowing the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency to partner with local law enforcement for limited enforcement of wildlife regulations and commission proclamations. The measure primarily affects people living in or visiting areas where bear-feeding prohibitions are in place, as well as local law enforcement agencies and wildlife officials.
Sentiment
The available voting history shows strong and unanimous support at each committee stage, with no recorded opposition in the House subcommittee, full committee, or finance committees. The bill’s findings and structure suggest a broadly shared concern about public safety, nuisance wildlife, and protecting bears from habituation to human food sources. Overall, the sentiment appears favorable and largely noncontroversial in committee.
Contention
The main policy issue is how far to extend enforcement authority and how to balance public safety with ordinary conduct around wildlife. The bill addresses this by limiting local law enforcement participation to specific wildlife-safety matters and by excluding lawful hunting from its reach. Another potential point of concern is the criminalization of conduct that may be unintentional, such as leaving food or garbage unsecured, though the bill softens that by using a warning for a first offense and a fine only for repeat violations. No recorded committee opposition appears in the provided history.