BILL ANALYSIS
AB 1995
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 14, 2010
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Felipe Fuentes, Chair
AB 1995 (Gaines) - As Amended: March 24, 2010
Policy Committee: Water, Parks and
Wildlife Vote: 12-0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY
Authorizes a person who, through the Department of Fish and
Game's (DFG's) Automated License Data System (ALDS), purchases a
fishing or hunting license or stamp to purchase a replacement
license or stamp for a base fee. Specifically, this bill:
1)Authorizes unexpired hunting and fishing licenses purchased
through DFG's ALDS system that are lost or destroyed to be
replaced for a base fee of $9, to be adjusted for inflation in
future years, not to exceed the amount of the original fee.
2)Authorizes a hunting or fishing stamp purchased through DFG's
ALDS system that is lost or destroyed to be replaced for a
base fee of $3, to be adjusted for inflation in future years,
not to exceed the amount of the original fee.
FISCAL EFFECT
1)Ongoing loss of revenue to DFG, in the tens of thousands of
dollars each year, resulting from reduced fee for replacement
hunting or fishing licenses and stamps. (Fish and Game
Preservation Fund)
2)Minor administrative savings to DFG, no more than thousands of
dollars each year, resulting from use of automated system to
reissue replacement hunting or fishing stamps.
COMMENTS
1)Rationale . According to the author and DFG, the bill's
sponsor, DFG unfairly charges the full cost of a new hunting
AB 1995
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or fishing license or stamp for the replacement of a lost or
destroyed license or stamp. This is because DFG has no way of
tracking the purchase of such licenses and stamps and
therefore cannot verify that a person purchased any. Once DFG
implements its ALDS in 2012, however, it will be able to
verify such purchases. The author and sponsor contend this
bill will ensure that hunters and anglers seeking to replace
previously purchased licenses and stamps rightly will pay only
for the administrative cost to DFG to replace the license or
stamp.
2)Background .
a) Hunting and Fishing Licenses and Entitlements . DFG
issues a variety of licenses for periodic hunting and
fishing. The costs of these licenses vary, depending upon
the specific license issued. The cost of the licenses is
designed to cover the costs to DFG to issue the license,
enforce fishing and hunting restrictions, and preserve
habitat, among other things.
In addition, DFG attaches entitlements, or stamps, to the
licenses for varying fees. These stamps entitle the hunter
or angler to specified activities. For example, a stamp
may entitle the licensee to fish in the Bay Delta region or
to hunt a specific species of game. Similar to the cost of
hunting and fishing licenses, the cost of stamps
corresponds to costs incurred by DFG, including the cost to
issue the stamps, enforcement, and preservation.
b) Dude, Where's My License ? Currently, a person who loses
a hunting or fishing license may purchase a replacement
license with payment of a fee. The amount of the fee is
sufficient to cover only the administrative cost of issuing
the replacement license. Presently, the replacement fee is
$8.75, an amount well below the cost of a new hunting or
fishing license. To qualify for the replacement license
fee, the customer must present proof of purchase and sign
an affidavit affirming the previous purchase of the
license.
Conversely, replacement of any stamp that was affixed to
the license must be repurchased at full price. There is no
discounted replacement stamp fee.
AB 1995
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c) DFG Automating its Licensing System . DFG's ALDS is an
automated, online electronic database of hunting and
fishing licensing information. DFG will begin implementing
ALDS this year and anticipates full implementation by 2012.
ALDS will replace DFG's paper-based licensing system.
Using ALDS, DFG, and its licensed agents, will gain the
ability to capture and quickly retrieve customer
information, including license purchase histories.
d) A Question of Fairness . Today, DFG has no way of
electrically tracking the purchase of licenses or stamps to
verify the prior purchase. Once DFG's ALDS is fully
implemented, it will allow DFG to capture customer-specific
information. With the ability to verify a customer's prior
purchase of licenses and stamps, it is arguably unfair to
charge the full price for replacement of a license or stamp
when DFG incurs only minor administrative costs to do so.
3)Support . DFG-the bill's sponsor-along with a number of
hunting and fishing organizations, argue that it will be
unfair to charge a customer full price for a replacement
hunting or fishing license or stamp when, using ALDS, DFG can
easily verify the customer's prior purchase of the license or
stamp.
4)There is no registered opposition to this bill .
Analysis Prepared by : Jay Dickenson / APPR. / (916) 319-2081