2012 -- H 7697 SUBSTITUTE A

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LC01691/SUB A

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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2012

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A N A C T

RELATING TO FISH AND WILDLIFE - GENERAL PROVISION

     Introduced By: Representatives Keable, Lally, Petrarca, Walsh, and E Coderre

     Date Introduced: February 16, 2012

     Referred To: House Environment and Natural Resources

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Section 20-1-26 of the General Laws in Chapter 20-1 entitled "General

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Provisions" is hereby amended to read as follows:

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     20-1-26. Freshwater invasive aquatic plants -- Prohibition on importation and

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possession. -- (a) No person shall import, transport, disperse, distribute, introduce, sell, purchase,

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or possess in the state any species of non-native (exotic) freshwater invasive aquatic plants, as

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defined by the director. The director shall promulgate rules and regulations governing the

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prohibition and its applicability. The prohibition and its enforcement shall not become effective

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until the rules and regulations governing the prohibition and its applicability take effect.

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      (b) Violations of this section shall be a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of not more

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than five hundred dollars ($500) or imprisonment for up to ninety (90) days, or both.

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     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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LC01691/SUB A

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N A C T

RELATING TO FISH AND WILDLIFE - GENERAL PROVISION

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     This act would provide that anyone violating the prohibition on importation and

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possession of freshwater invasive aquatic plants would be subject to a fine and deletes the

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provision of the general laws which declared that such prohibited possession would be a

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misdemeanor.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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LC01691/SUB A

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