Legislation to raise the stakes of Venus flytrap poaching may take on a statewide focus.
Rep. Ted Davis, the New Hanover County Republican, said Friday the plan has taken a turn from the bill he filed this session to make flytrap theft a felony in just southeastern North Carolina counties (generally the only known area where the plant naturally grows).
The crime is soley a misdemeanor currently, punishable by fines of $10 to $50 (though larger penalties may greet repeat offenders).
After a full House session late Friday afternoon, Davis by phone said he and fellow lawmakers discussed a scenario in which the General Assembly would repeal the misdemeanor language to apply the felony upgrade statewide.
Making the crime a Class H felony could mean jail time for violators; flytrap poaching is a common occurrence in southeastern North Carolina, with a large, public carnivorous plant garden in Wilmington the victim last year of more than 1,000 thefts.
Davis’ original, local bill sought to make the crime a felony in New Hanover County, but he said all along he’d welcome any county that wanted to be added. Brunswick, Columbus, Onslow, and Pender counties–all southeastern–eventually were.
With those five counties aboard, the local bill passed the House but was gutted in the Senate over concerns about unpermitted flytrap-taking being a felony in some counties and a misdemeanor in others, according to Davis. The current law also exempts 22 counties, including Pender County.
Sen. Thom Goolsby (R-New Hanover) earlier this week indicated the Senate’s regulatory reform bill would be a home for the stepped-up flytrap protection, but the chamber hasn’t updated the bill as such.
The Venus flytrap is the official carnivorous plant of North Carolina.
