Pared-back water-access bill passes
The House of Representatives narrowed and then passed a bill giving landowners rights to keep hunters off certain waterways on their land.
House Bill 1135 is intended, supporters say, to close a loophole letting hunters enter private property as long as they’re doing so on a waterway.
Since being initially proposed, it’s been narrowed repeatedly, excluding private property on “meandering” waterways such as rivers and streams. Supporters say it’s intended to only apply to small sloughs and lakes.
Opponents said the bill was still too broad, and said a list of specific bodies of water that were off limits would be better.
But the full House narrowly approved the measure 37-32. It now heads to the Senate.
