BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES AND WATER
Senator Fran Pavley, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular
Bill No: AB 1844 Hearing Date: June 28,
2016
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|Author: |Gallagher | | |
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|Version: |May 27, 2016 |
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|Urgency: |No |Fiscal: |Yes |
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|Consultant:|Matthew Dumlao |
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Subject: Hunting and fishing licenses: reduced license fees:
veterans
BACKGROUND AND EXISTING LAW
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is
responsible for managing hunting and sport fishing within the
state. Current law requires CDFW to issue hunting licenses to
take birds or mammals and a fishing license to take fish,
reptiles, or amphibians. In many cases, the license is the
minimum level of certification a hunter or angler needs to take
an animal. For some birds and mammals, CDFW issues tags to
allow hunters to take specific animals from certain areas. Each
year, the total number of tags issued by CDFW for each animal as
well as the number of tags each licensee is eligible to receive
is restricted. Similarly, CDFW requires report cards, stamps, or
validations for certain fish and regions.
Currently, annual hunting and sport fishing licenses each cost
$47.01 for California residents. In addition to annual licenses,
existing law requires CDFW to offer lifetime passes for hunting
licenses, fishing licenses, and a combination pass called a
sportsman's license (Fish and Game Code § 3031.2, 7149.2, and
714, respectively). To purchase a sportsman's license, the
individual must buy the hunting and fishing licenses separately
and there is no additional discount for buying both licenses at
the same time.
The cost of a lifetime license depends on the applicant's age.
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Currently, the cost for a lifetime hunting or fishing license is
$517.00 for persons 9 years or younger, $844.50 for persons 10
to 39 years old; $761.00 for persons 40 to 61 years old; and
$517.00 for persons 62 years old or older.
In addition to the lifetime license, CDFW also offers lifetime
"privilege packages" for stamps, report cards, tags and other
entitlements that are required to take certain mammals, birds,
and fish.
Under existing law, certain groups are provided hunting and
sport fishing licenses for free or a reduced fee. Reduced fees
for sport fishing licenses are provided to low income senior
citizens, disabled veterans and recovering service members. A
disabled veteran is defined as a person having a 50 percent or
greater service-connected disability, as determined by the
United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Currently, the
cost for a reduced-fee hunting or sport fishing license is $6.95
annually.
Free annual sport fishing licenses are provided to low income
Native Americans as well as to blind, developmentally disabled,
or mobility impaired individuals. Hunting licenses are provided
free-of-charge for mobility impaired individuals.
Hunting tags are issued for big game animals, including bear,
elk, deer, antelope, bighorn sheep, and wild pigs. Tags are
also issued for bobcats. Since demand for big game hunting tags
exceeds the number of animals that can be killed sustainably
each year, most hunting tags are given out through a drawing.
Applying for an animal-specific tag drawing costs between $5.97
and $38.62. The tags themselves cost between $22.42 and
$445.35. Furthermore, taking ducks and some upland game birds
requires a separate validation ($20.52 and $9.46, respectively).
In addition to a sport fishing license, CDFW requires a report
card for certain fish including abalone, sturgeon, North Coast
salmon, steelhead, and spiny lobster. Report cards range from
$6.22 to $22.42. Fishing with a second rod and fishing in
certain ocean waters require a validation ($14.61 and $5.14,
respectively).
PROPOSED LAW
This bill would require CDFW to reduce the fee to obtain
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lifetime hunting, fishing or sportsmen licenses by 25 percent
for a person who is a veteran of the United States Armed Forces,
was honorably discharged, and is a California resident.
The discount would not apply to the additional privilege
packages.
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT
The author argues this bill is necessary because it "recognizes
the sacrifices of our veterans by granting them a well-deserved
discount on hunting and fishing licenses. These recreational
outdoor activities can help veterans rehabilitate from the
stresses of their service. This bill helps veterans and also
encourages participation in a vital California industry and
pastime."
The California Sportfishing League echoed the arguments made by
the author and added that "California should consider this
legislation as a first step to reforming its costly and
antiquated fishing license program."
ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION
None received.
COMMENTS
How does the lifetime license program work?
Anyone who purchases a lifetime license receives a new license
each year at no cost from a CDFW license agent or from the CDFW
Online License Sales site.
The lifetime license program works by depositing the money for
the purchase of a lifetime license into a dedicated account
called the Lifetime License Trust Account. Each year, the money
in that trust account earns interest and CDFW receives an
allocation equal to one license fee for every person holding a
lifetime fishing or hunting license. Over the course of your
lifetime, the money taken from the trust account is offset by
interest earned on the principal.
Who would be affected by the discount and how much could they
save?
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All honorably discharged veterans of the United States Armed
Forces with California residency are eligible. Individuals who
leave California and become residents of another state either
temporarily or permanently can keep their lifetime license.
Lifetime licenses are not transferrable.
As stated in the background section, the cost of the lifetime
passes depends on the age of the applicant. Veterans can fall
under the three upper age groups (no one between the ages of 0
and 9 could apply as a veteran) and the potential savings range
from $129.25 to $211.10.
Under existing law, disabled veterans receive a discount of
approximately 85 percent on annual hunting and fishing licenses.
It would be cheaper to apply for an annual hunting and/or
fishing license than to purchase a lifetime license, even if
discounted by 25 percent. Therefore, it is unlikely disabled
veterans would benefit from this bill. That said, the primary
aim of this bill is to assist all veterans, not just the
veterans who were seriously injured while serving our country.
While all veterans deserve
Are other discounts offered for lifetime passes?
CDFW does not currently offer discounts on lifetime passes.
Since no group currently receives a discount on lifetime
licenses, would this bill set a precedent and open the door for
other groups to seek a discount?
In contrast to the lifetime passes, certain groups are eligible
for discounts on annual hunting and fishing licenses. Disabled
veterans and recovering service members are eligible for
reduced-fee hunting and fishing licenses. Additionally,
reduced-fee fishing licenses are available to low income
seniors, and free fishing licenses are available for low income
Native Americans and blind, mobility impaired or developmentally
disabled individuals.
What is the potential fiscal impact of the proposed bill?
According to the analysis from the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, discounting hunting and fishing licenses could
significantly reduce revenue for the Fish and Game Preservation
Fund and Lifetime License Trust Account. Revenue from license
sales is used to support CDFW's wide range of programs that
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support hunting and sport fishing, including fish hatcheries,
fish stocking, wildlife management, management of wildlife
areas, law enforcement, habitat restoration, and education
programs.
According to the California Department of Veteran Affairs, there
are approximately 1.8 million veterans living in California,
with 331,645 receiving monthly disability compensation as of
2014. This bill increases eligibility from a universe of
approximately 331,600 to 1.8 million veterans.
Related legislation.
SB 1287 (Harman), Chapter 409, Statutes of 2012, and SB 1288
(Harman), Chapter 410, Statutes of 2012, required CDFW to offer
reduced-fee sport fishing and hunting licenses, respectively, to
military personnel who are recovering service members.
AB 1387 (Runner) of 2007 would have required reduced fee hunting
and fishing licenses and free state park passes to be made
available to members of the California National Guard. AB 1387
was held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
AB 1527 (Committee on Water, Parks & Wildlife), Chapter 154,
Statutes of 2015, made technical changes to clarify the
documentation that is sufficient to demonstrate eligibility for
a disabled veterans reduced-fee hunting license.
AB 1972 (Chau) would extend eligibility for the state's existing
Distinguished Veteran State Park day use pass, which currently
is available to veterans with disabilities who served during war
time, to also include veterans with a service-connected
disability who served during peace time. AB 1972 is also
pending in this committee.
SB 1081 (Morrell) would have require the CDFW to provide free
hunting licenses to disabled Veterans and recovering service
members. SB 1081 was held in Senate Appropriations.
SUGGESTED AMENDMENTS
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None.
SUPPORT
American G.I. Forum of California
American Legion - Department of California
AMVETS - Department of California
California Association for Recreational Fishing
California Association of County Veterans Service Officers
California Sportfishing League (sponsor)
California Waterfowl Association
Military Officers Association of America - California Council of
Chapters
National Marine Manufacturers Association
Outdoor Sportsmen's Coalition of California
Safari Club International
Vietnam Veterans of America - California State Council
One individual
OPPOSITION
None received.
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