A crackdown on Venus flytrap poaching is moving into the N.C. Senate’s regulatory reform bill, a Wilmington lawmaker said Tuesday.
Originally introduced in the House by Rep. Ted Davis (R-New Hanover) was a bill to make thefts of the rare plant a felony offense in Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, Onslow, and Pender counties, where it grows naturally.
When that bill came up for consideration Tuesday morning in the Senate Finance Committee, it was stripped of flytrap language; instead, it only dealt with the use of room occupancy tax money in unincorporated New Hanover County (previously a secondary focus of the bill).
The committee approved it as such.
“Does this have anything to do with Venus flytraps as well?” asked Sen. Dan Soucek (R-Watauga) when no mention aired of the plant. The bill had passed the House in June with flytraps the leading focus.
“It originally did,” Sen. Thom Goolsby, the Wilmington Republican, explained on the committee floor. “But that’s been PCSed out and I understand the Venus flytrap legislation is currently in our Senate reg reform bill.”
(PCS refers to the “proposed committee substitute” of a bill.)
Senate Bill 734 is the Regulatory Reform Act of 2014, which seeks to cross out or modernize “outdated” or unduly burdensome regulations.
A previous version of it sought to simply raise the monetary penalties for stealing flytraps and other protected plants, currently a misdemeanor crime punishable with fines between $10 and $50.
Past story: Regulatory reform bill, too, seeks stronger flytrap law
Goolsby said Tuesday the reform bill, which has seen changes in each chamber since it was introduced in May, would include Davis’ felony proposal. If it passed, the penalty for stealing a flytrap could rise from fine to jail time.
The latest viewable version of the bill, as of Tuesday morning, did not include any flytrap-related language. It currently sits in the Senate’s Ways and Means Committee.
Over the phone Tuesday afternoon, Davis said he was surprised by the bill edit and wasn’t consulted on the fate of his flytrap language. He said he was in the process of seeking answers from colleagues.
The frequently poached plants grow naturally only within a 60-mile ring around Wilmington, according to the N.C. State Parks Department, though some agencies observe a 100-mile radius. A recent resolution from Wilmington City Council reported an estimate of no more than 35,000 flytraps remaining in their natural habitat today.
Past stories:
Community support for flytraps converges at carnivorous garden
More than 10,000 flytraps stolen in Supply
Three charged in thefts of hundreds of Boiling Spring Lakes flytraps
Ben Brown is a news reporter at Port City Daily. Reach him at [email protected] or (910) 772-6335. On Twitter: @benbrownmedia
