Introduced to both the Senate and the Assembly and referred to Committee on Natural Resources and Energy in the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources and Sporting Heritage in the Assembly. Public hearing held in the Assembly on 07/19/2017.
Under current law, conservation wardens are appointed by the Department of Natural Resources to enforce the laws DNR is required to adminster, including fish and game laws, conservation laws, and environmental laws. This bill generally prohibits a DNR conservation warden from entering private land for the purpose of enforcing the laws DNR is required to administer unless the warden has reasonable suspicion that a violation of such a law has occurred or is occurring. Under the bill, if a warden enters private land to enforce such a law without reasonable suspicion of a violation, any evidence the warden collects of such a violation is not admissible in evidence in a prosecution of that violation.