republic-os/legislation/us/states/ca/20092010/ab-708.md

---
type: "Bill"
title: "Fish and wildlife: poaching."
description: "Existing law regulates the taking or possession of birds, mammals, fish, amphibians, and reptiles. Except as expressly provided otherwise in the Fish and Game Code, any violation of that code, or of any rule, regulation, or order made or adopted under that code, is a misdemeanor. Existing law specifically imposes a fine of up to $30,000 or up to one year of imprisonment, or both, for the knowing unlawful taking of listed animals for commercial purposes, for the knowing unlawful possession for commercial purposes of any part of a mountain lion, bear, wild pig, bighorn sheep, elk, antelope, or deer, a pelt of a furbearing mammal, a live reptile or amphibian, any fully protected, threatened, or endangered species, or any quantity of fish or shellfish in excess of the quantity permitted by the code, and for the knowing unlawful sale for commercial purposes, or the unlawful possession with the intent to sell, of any part of, or product made from, any wildlife. Existing law, except as specified, also prohibits any person convicted of a violation punishable under those unlawful taking and possession and sale provisions from thereafter taking wildlife in this state for a period of not less than one year from the date of conviction, and provides for the revocation of related entitlements. Existing law prohibits a person, upon the 3rd conviction of a specified violation relating to the taking or possession of fish, reptiles, or amphibia, or parts thereof, in any 5-year period, and upon any subsequent conviction during a 5-year period, from taking any fish, reptiles, or amphibia in the state for 3 years from the date of the last conviction, and requires the Fish and Game Commission to revoke the sport fishing license of such a person for the period of the prohibition."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ca"
legislature: "California Legislature"
session: "20092010"
identifier: "AB 708"
citation: "California AB 708 (20092010)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Fish and wildlife: poaching."]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Huffman"]
version_count: 9
action_count: 26
vote_count: 7
first_action: "2009-02-26"
last_action: "2009-10-11"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/c7b182e4-7323-4969-9f2e-a5553398f6d2"
source_url: "http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=200920100AB708"
source_hash: "80bed43301bfe5aaabbaaa673f3a6e2dd8b331f0bd812eb96f3eabc329303f52"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-ca"]
---

# California AB 708 (20092010) — Fish and wildlife: poaching.

Existing law regulates the taking or possession of birds, mammals, fish, amphibians, and reptiles. Except as expressly provided otherwise in the Fish and Game Code, any violation of that code, or of any rule, regulation, or order made or adopted under that code, is a misdemeanor. Existing law specifically imposes a fine of up to $30,000 or up to one year of imprisonment, or both, for the knowing unlawful taking of listed animals for commercial purposes, for the knowing unlawful possession for commercial purposes of any part of a mountain lion, bear, wild pig, bighorn sheep, elk, antelope, or deer, a pelt of a furbearing mammal, a live reptile or amphibian, any fully protected, threatened, or endangered species, or any quantity of fish or shellfish in excess of the quantity permitted by the code, and for the knowing unlawful sale for commercial purposes, or the unlawful possession with the intent to sell, of any part of, or product made from, any wildlife. Existing law, except as specified, also prohibits any person convicted of a violation punishable under those unlawful taking and possession and sale provisions from thereafter taking wildlife in this state for a period of not less than one year from the date of conviction, and provides for the revocation of related entitlements. Existing law prohibits a person, upon the 3rd conviction of a specified violation relating to the taking or possession of fish, reptiles, or amphibia, or parts thereof, in any 5-year period, and upon any subsequent conviction during a 5-year period, from taking any fish, reptiles, or amphibia in the state for 3 years from the date of the last conviction, and requires the Fish and Game Commission to revoke the sport fishing license of such a person for the period of the prohibition.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **02/26/09 - Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=200920100AB708&version=20090AB70899INT)
2. **04/20/09 - Amended Assembly** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=200920100AB708&version=20090AB70898AMD)
3. **06/17/09 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=200920100AB708&version=20090AB70897AMD)
4. **06/26/09 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=200920100AB708&version=20090AB70896AMD)
5. **07/14/09 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=200920100AB708&version=20090AB70895AMD)
6. **08/19/09 - Amended Senate** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=200920100AB708&version=20090AB70894AMD)
7. **10/11/09 - Chaptered** (committee substitute) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=200920100AB708&version=20090AB70892CHP)
8. **AB708** (committee substitute) — [source](http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=200920100AB708)
9. **09/09/09 - Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billPdf.xhtml?bill_id=200920100AB708&version=20090AB70893ENR)

## Votes

- Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on Appropriations. — **pass** (pass) · lower
- Do pass as amended, and re-refer to the Committee on Appropriations. — **pass** (pass) · upper
- Do pass, to Consent Calendar. — **pass** (pass) · lower
- Assembly 3rd Reading AB708 Huffman By Simitian — **pass** (pass) · upper
- AB 708 HUFFMAN Consent Calendar Second Day Regular Session — **pass** (pass) · lower
- AB 708 HUFFMAN Concurrence in Senate Amendments — **pass** (pass) · lower
- Do pass, but re-refer to the Committee on Public Safety. — **pass** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Huffman — primary (person)
- Fletcher — coauthor (person)
- Krekorian — coauthor (person)
- Strickland — coauthor (person)
- Tom Berryhill — coauthor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2009-02-26** Read first time. To print. `reading-1`
- **2009-02-27** From printer. May be heard in committee March 29.
- **2009-03-23** Referred to Com. on W.,P. & W. `referral-committee`
- **2009-04-14** In committee: Set, first hearing. Further hearing to be set.
- **2009-04-20** From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on W.,P. & W. Read second time and amended. `amendment-introduction, reading-2, amendment-passage, reading-1`
- **2009-04-21** Re-referred to Com. on W.,P. & W. `referral-committee`
- **2009-04-29** From committee: Do pass, and re-refer to Com. on APPR. Re-referred. (Ayes 13. Noes 0.) (April 28). `committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage`
- **2009-05-14** From committee: Do pass. To Consent Calendar. (May 13). `committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage`
- **2009-05-18** Read second time. To Consent Calendar. `reading-2, reading-1`
- **2009-05-21** Read third time, passed, and to Senate. (Ayes 77. Noes 0. Page 1628.) `reading-3, passage, reading-1`
- **2009-05-21** In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. `reading-1`
- **2009-06-04** Referred to Coms. on N.R. & W. and PUB. S. `referral-committee`
- **2009-06-17** From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on N.R. & W. `amendment-introduction, reading-2, amendment-passage, referral-committee, reading-1`
- **2009-06-23** From committee: Do pass, and re-refer to Com. on PUB. S. Re-referred. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (June 23). `committee-passage-favorable, committee-passage`
- **2009-06-26** From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on PUB. S. `amendment-introduction, reading-2, amendment-passage, referral-committee, reading-1`
- **2009-07-13** From committee: Amend, do pass as amended, and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (July 7). `amendment-introduction, amendment-passage, committee-passage`
- **2009-07-14** Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on APPR. `amendment-passage, referral-committee, reading-2, reading-1`
- **2009-08-18** From committee: Be placed on second reading file pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8 and be amended. `amendment-passage, committee-passage`
- **2009-08-19** Read second time and amended. Ordered to third reading. `amendment-passage, reading-2, reading-1`
- **2009-09-01** Read third time, passed, and to Assembly. (Ayes 35. Noes 0. Page 2053.) `reading-3, passage, reading-1`
- **2009-09-02** In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending. May be considered on or after September 4 pursuant to Assembly Rule 77.
- **2009-09-03** Assembly Rule 77 suspended. (Page 2970.)
- **2009-09-03** Senate amendments concurred in. To enrollment. (Ayes 78. Noes 0. Page 2997.) `amendment-passage, committee-passage-favorable`
- **2009-09-11** Enrolled and to the Governor at 7 p.m.
- **2009-10-11** Approved by the Governor. `executive-signature`
- **2009-10-11** Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 290, Statutes of 2009.

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/c7b182e4-7323-4969-9f2e-a5553398f6d2`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official California legislature records).