February 15, 2010 - Legislative Report #8

House Bill Introduction

Today legislators introduced 58 bills: HF Nos. 2946 through 2989. While legislators continue introducing bills, the end of session continues to draw near.  Currently, we are over a billion dollars short with regard to a balanced budget for this session, and a projected $8 billion in the next biennium would dictate a focus on balancing the budget while ignoring the wish lists of special interests. HF 2955 by Representative David Dill (DFL), District 06A, and Representative Tony Cornish (R), District 24B, provides some hope for an elected leader's ability to govern. I discovered this bill while trolling the vast number of new bills introduced on 2/15/10. The bill seeks to allow people who accidentally hit a deer with a motor vehicle to keep the carcass if desired.

Current law prohibits people from exercising reason and logic in an accident involving a deer. The law prohibits individuals from taking what they see is appropriate with regard to the situation in which they find themselves. Somehow we need the state to provide direction and verification of intentions when someone has a collision with deer. Consider this side thought: the existing law prohibiting individuals from keeping a deer after a collision presumes ownership of the deer by the state. I have not located
that authority of ownership in our Constitution.

Solution: Repeal the section of law restricting individuals from exercising due diligence and care when confronted with a collision involving a deer. A criminal offence is not in existence in a collision with a deer. Individuals should have the liberty to care for the situation and call authorities if they so chose without the assumption of criminal activity.