Thursday,  February 21, 2013 • Vol. 14--No. 217 • 7 of 31 •  Other Editions

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Office, they would be precluded from subsequently seeking office.
• HB 1093, brought by Representative Charlie Hoffman hearkens back to 2004 when I brought a similar bill on behalf of a local constituent.  This bill seeks to allow hunters to use leashed dogs to track big game that has been wounded or is presumed dead.  In 2004, my bill met with resistance from the House Ag Committee after an opponent stated some concerns.  I suggested to the committee that amending the bill with eight simple words would satisfy the issues raised by the opponent.  However, the committee did not capitulate, and the bill was defeated 7-6.  Fast forward (actually, slow forward) to this year.  In addition to the issue I raised back in '04, HB 1093 would also allow hunters to use dogs in their quest to bag a mountain lion.  Ultimately, the desire is to allow hunters to dispatch deer and other

big game that they have wounded.  Truthfully, the mountain lion issue is separate from the matter of putting down wounded big game, but they can both be effectively dealt with in one bill.  The bill has met with favor throughout the process so far, as it garnered unanimous support in committee and passed the floor 67-1.  In my mind, this bill has been a long time coming.
• HB 1246 is a bill I brought to clarify that commercial pesticide applicators who are properly certified are allowed to apply pesticides to their own private property.  As I understand it, this was allowed until several years ago when the Department of Ag began requiring individuals to go through separate certification processes for obtaining commercial vs. private licenses.  This issue was raised by a local pilot who pointed out that due to reciprocity agreements between states, he would be allowed, in theory, to spray every acre of land from Iowa to Montana EXCEPT HIS OWN PROPERTY!  When I dropped the bill in the hopper, the lobbyist

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