A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to forbid the harvesting of wild ginseng without a harvesting permit issued by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 106‑202.19(a) is amended by adding a new subdivision to read:
"(5a)	To harvest ginseng from the wild outside of a harvesting season as provided by the Board or without holding a currently valid State permit to collect wild ginseng. The Board may charge a reasonable fee not to exceed twenty‑five dollars ($25.00) annually for a permit under this subdivision. The Board may enter into memoranda of understanding with law enforcement agencies, including special peace officers of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, the Wildlife Resources Commission, and the Department of Environmental Quality, to provide for enforcement of this subdivision on both public and private lands."
SECTION 2.  The North Carolina Plant Conservation Board shall issue rules to implement this act. The Board shall include the following in its rules:
(1)	A requirement that the ginseng collection permit include physical identifying information on the permittee or equivalent information to enable law enforcement to determine if the permit is being used by persons other than the permittee.
(2)	A program to allow ginseng dealers permitted under G.S. 106‑202.19(6) to sell ginseng harvest permits and receive a portion of the fee authorized by this act for each permit sold.
SECTION 3.  This act is effective when it becomes law. The North Carolina Plant Conservation Board may issue temporary rules to implement this act and shall propose permanent rules no later than April 1, 2020.