Senate committee endorses wild horse bill

The panel recommended AB509 on a 4-2 vote. Sens. Maggie Carlton and Bob Coffin, both Democrats from Las Vegas, were opposed.

Under AB509, landowners would ask the federal government to round up wild horses that wander onto private land. If the feds don't respond, the county could seek a federal court order for either the county or state to remove the federally protected animals.

Coffin said after the vote he thinks the bill will just mean more litigation, and he predicted it will have to survive a legal challenge before it can be implemented.

"I just didn't want the state to get involved in litigation," he said. "It's an act of Congress that we're dealing with. It's still unclear as to who has the right to do that."

Coffin said a better option is AJR2, which the committee also recommended. AJR 2 urges Congress to control wild horse populations and keep them at a manageable level.

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