Arizona Laws 17-315. Wildlife theft prevention fund; authorized expenditures
A. The wildlife theft prevention fund is established consisting of:
Terms Used In Arizona Laws 17-315
- Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
- Commission: means the Arizona game and fish commission. See Arizona Laws 17-101
- Department: means the Arizona game and fish department. See Arizona Laws 17-101
- Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
- Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
- Peace officers: means sheriffs of counties, constables, marshals, policemen of cities and towns, commissioned personnel of the department of public safety, personnel who are employed by the state department of corrections and the department of juvenile corrections and who have received a certificate from the Arizona peace officer standards and training board, peace officers who are appointed by a multicounty water conservation district and who have received a certificate from the Arizona peace officer standards and training board, police officers who are appointed by community college district governing boards and who have received a certificate from the Arizona peace officer standards and training board, police officers who are appointed by the Arizona board of regents and who have received a certificate from the Arizona peace officer standards and training board, police officers who are appointed by the governing body of a public airport pursuant to section 28-8426 and who have received a certificate from the Arizona peace officer standards and training board, peace officers who are appointed by a private postsecondary institution pursuant to section 15-1897 and who have received a certificate from the Arizona peace officer standards and training board and special agents from the office of the attorney general, or of a county attorney, and who have received a certificate from the Arizona peace officer standards and training board. See Arizona Laws 1-215
- Person: includes a corporation, company, partnership, firm, association or society, as well as a natural person. See Arizona Laws 1-215
- Statewide: means all lands except those areas lying within the boundaries of state and federal refuges, parks and monuments, unless specifically provided differently by commission order. See Arizona Laws 17-101
- Wildlife: means all wild mammals, wild birds and the nests or eggs thereof, reptiles, amphibians, mollusks, crustaceans and fish, including their eggs or spawn. See Arizona Laws 17-101
1. Monies received from civil penalties pursuant to section 17-314.
2. Money received from donations to the fund.
3. Monies appropriated by the legislature for the purposes provided in this article.
4. Monies received as fines, forfeitures and penalties collected for violations of this title.
B. Monies in the wildlife theft prevention fund shall be expended only for the following purposes:
1. The financing of reward payments to persons, other than peace officers, game and fish department personnel and members of their immediate families, responsible for information leading to the arrest of any person for unlawfully taking, wounding or killing, possessing, transporting or selling wildlife and attendant acts of vandalism. The commission shall establish the schedule of rewards to be paid for information received and payment shall be made from monies available for this purpose.
2. The financing of a statewide telephone reporting system under the name of "operation game thief", which shall be established by the director under the guidance of the commission.
3. The promotion of the public recognition and awareness of the wildlife theft prevention program.
4. Investigations of the unlawful taking, possession or use of wildlife.
5. Investigations of fraud related to licenses, permits, tags or stamps.
C. The wildlife theft prevention fund shall be expended in conformity with the laws governing state financial operations. Balances remaining at the end of the fiscal year are exempt from the provisions of section 35-190 relating to lapsing of appropriations.