Wildlife Damage Bill Fails

A legislative committee has rejected a proposal that would have required the state to pay motorists who hit deer and other wild animals in South Dakota.

HB1208 would have forced the Game, Fish and Parks Department to pay $200 for each vehicle that was damaged.

Department Secretary Jeff Vonk told the House Agriculture Committee that the bill would jeopardize $5 million in federal funds that the agency gets each year.

He said the payments would have come from a fund that includes the federal money, and it can only be used for wildlife management purposes.

The bill was killed 12-0.