Bill relaxes public access restrictions during wildfires

OLYMPIA — The House Agriculture and Natural Resources committee passed a bill Thursday regarding livestock owners’ access to their animals during wildfires.

House Bill 2925 would prohibit the state Department of Natural Resources from preventing livestock owners or their employees from accessing public lands to retrieve or care for livestock during a fire suppression response. Under the bill, people entering land to care for their livestock during a fire response would assume full liability for themselves, and any employees in their charge.

Rep. Tom Dent, R-Moses Lake, is the primary sponsor of the bill and he said it is very important to his district.

“It will allow them to do what they’re already doing and be legal,” Dent said of livestock owners. He also said the bill will “give them an opportunity to be good stewards of their land and their livestock.”

The bill passed in the committee with a vote of 11-2. The Rules Committee will decide if it will get placed on the House floor for debate.

— Staff report