Public Hearing Alert: Bear Hunt Lottery Proposal, Friday, March 10th
State Representative Karen Reddington-Hughes (R-66) is reminding constituents and concerned citizens that the Environment Committee is holding a Public Hearing on Friday, March 10th to consider several bills, including S.B. No. 1148 (RAISED) AN ACT AUTHORIZING CERTAIN KILLING AND HUNTING OF BLACK BEAR AND PROHIBITING BIRD FEEDERS AND OTHER UNINTENTIONAL AND INTENTIONAL FEEDING OF POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS ANIMALS.
This Committee bill contains pieces of other legislation, including Rep. Reddington-Hughes’ proposal (HB 5073) to establish a bear hunt lottery in Litchfield County If enacted, SB 1148 will “establish permits for the taking of bear that damage crops, livestock or bees, authorize the killing of bears that cause harm to a person or pet or that enter an occupied building, provide for an annual bear hunt season in Litchfield County by lottery and prohibit the intentional and unintentional feeding of potentially dangerous animals.”
“Establishing a lottery system to allow DEEP to properly and safely manage Connecticut’s growing bear population will provide better protections for the species and help reduce conflicts with people like we saw last year when a 10-year-old was attacked and injured in Morris,” Rep. Reddington-Hughes, a member of the Environment Committee said. “It’s apparent that current policies to keep people and bears apart are not working well enough to ensure the safety of either. This is a public safety issue, first and foremost, and the Committee looks forward to hearing directly from residents.”
Environment Committee Public Hearing
Friday, March 10, 2023
11:30 a.m. – Room 2B, or via Zoom
For information about how to testify in person or via zoom, please go to:
https://www.cthousegop.com/reddington-hughes/2023/02/15/how-to-testify-for-public-hearings/