Gov. Walker backs bill to lessen hunting, fishing violations

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) – A bill that Gov. Bill Walker is backing would make some of Alaska’s hunting and fishing violations more like traffic tickets than criminal prosecutions.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported Tuesday that Walker’s bill follows a trend in Alaska law of moving some misdemeanor-level crimes to the lesser “violation” category.

The proposed law change would give new leniency to people who have licenses but don’t have them in their possession when contacted in the field by law enforcement. Hunters and fishers would have the option of bringing a copy of their license to court after getting a citation to have the citation corrected.

The bill does, however, call for increasing fines for commercial fishing violations and for the offense of unlawfully taking an animal.

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