BILL ANALYSIS ------------------------------------------------------------ |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 1179| |Office of Senate Floor Analyses | | |1020 N Street, Suite 524 | | |(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | | |327-4478 | | ------------------------------------------------------------ THIRD READING Bill No: SB 1179 Author: Hollingsworth (R) Amended: 6/1/10 Vote: 21 SENATE NATURAL RES. & WATER COMMITTEE : 6-3, 4/13/10 AYES: Cogdill, Hollingsworth, Huff, Padilla, Simitian, Wolk NOES: Pavley, Kehoe, Lowenthal SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 10-0, 5/27/10 AYES: Kehoe, Alquist, Corbett, Denham, Leno, Price, Walters, Wolk, Wyland, Yee NO VOTE RECORDED: Cox SUBJECT : Free hunting days SOURCE : Author DIGEST : This bill establishes two free hunting days per year, on which any California resident may hunt in the state without a hunting license. ANALYSIS : Under existing law, a person must posses a valid hunting license to take birds and mammals in California. Additionally, under 3050, in order to receive a hunting license, a person must complete a course in hunter education, principles of conservation, and sportsmanship or have had a hunting license in the past. Hunter education courses are offered by the Department of CONTINUED SB 1179 Page 2 Fish and Game (DFG) and cover firearms safety and handling, sportsmanship and ethics, wildlife management and conservation, archery, black powder, wildlife identification, game care, first aid, and survival. Courses are a minimum of ten hours. DFG must offer the course for free, although DFG may charge a teaching-materials fee. Existing law requires a person to obtain a valid sport fishing license to take any fish, reptile, or amphibia in the state. The director of DFG, notwithstanding this requirement, may designate up to two days a year as free sport fishing days during which residents and nonresidents may fish without holding a sport fishing license, but are still subject to all the limitations, restrictions, conditions, laws, rules, and regulations applicable to sports fishing. This bill: 1.Requires the Fish and Game Commission to establish two free hunting days per year. On those days, any California resident is eligible to hunt without a hunting license, provided that the unlicensed hunter is accompanied by a licensed hunter who is over 18 years of age and has had a hunting license for three years. 2.Authorizes DFG to required that unlicensed hunters demonstrate that they are capable safely operating a firearm. 3.Authorizes federally licensed firearm dealers, their employees, certified hunter education instructors, and licensed hunters who have had a license for three consecutive years to certify that an unlicensed hunter is capable of safely operating a firearm. 4.Allows DFG to prohibit unlicensed hunters from taking species that require a tag granted by lottery or draw or species that also require a federal tag to take. Comments Free fish days simply allow individuals to fish without purchasing a license. Free hunting days, as proposed by SB 1179 Page 3 this bill, allows individuals to not only hunt without a license but also to forgo a hunter education. The Legislature enacted hunting education requirements in order to ensure the health and safety of hunters and to reflect the Legislature's intent that hunters be aware of their responsibilities "to others, towards wildlife, and toward their natural environment." According to the Fish and Game website, hunting accidents of all types have declined substantially with the education requirement. However, the courses offered by DFG go further than firearm safety by also teaching topics including wildlife management and conservation, wildlife identification, game care, and first aid. The committee may wish to consider whether it is desirable to allow an individual to hunt without receiving a more comprehensive hunting education course. FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes Local: No According to the Senate Appropriations Committee: Fiscal Impact (in thousands) Major Provisions 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 Fund Increased enforcement Up to $130 per year Special * Reduced license and tagUnknown, likely more than $180 per year Special * revenues SUPPORT : (unable to verify at time of writing) California Association of Firearms Retailers California Sportsman's Lobby, Inc. National Rifle Association of America National Shooting Sports Foundation, Inc. Outdoor Sportsmen's Coalition of California Safari Club International Sierra Club ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author's office, "SB 1179 hopes to introduce more people to the sport of SB 1179 Page 4 hunting. Not only is hunting a time-honored outdoor activity which has deep roots in our nation's culture, but it is also an activity which generates a great deal of commerce and sales tax revenue. Hunters purchase gas, food, clothing, supplies, and lodging accommodations, pumping millions of critical dollars into local economies. This is especially true in the depressed rural areas of our state where job opportunities are often limited, but good hunting areas are in ample supply." The author also submitted statistics to the committee from the National Shooting Sports Foundation that demonstrate that accidental firearms fatalities are at an all time low, the injury rate of hunting compared to other recreation, and the impact of the firearms industry on California's economy. CTW:nl 6/1/10 Senate Floor Analyses SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE **** END ****