WEST virginia legislature
2021 regular session
Introduced
Senate Bill 502
By Senators Hamilton, Stover, Woodrum, Ihlenfeld, Lindsay, Smith, Romano, Jeffries, and Grady
[Introduced March 1, 2021;
referred
to the Committee on Natural Resources; and then to the Committee on Finance]
A BILL to amend and reenact §20-2B-7 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to lifetime hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses for residents who have not reached their 15th birthday; providing that residents who have not reached their 15th birthday may be eligible to receive their lifetime hunting, fishing, and trapping license; providing that adopted children who have not reached their 15th birthday may be eligible to receive their lifetime hunting, fishing, and trapping license; providing that lifetime hunting, fishing, and trapping license fees for adopted children are calculated from the date of adoption decree or order; and providing the Director of the Division of Natural Resources emergency legislative rule-making authority.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
ARTICLE 2B. WILDLIFE ENDOWMENT FUND.
§20-2B-7. Lifetime hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses created.
(a) Pursuant to §20-2B-3 of this code, the director may issue the following lifetime hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses and for the lifetime of the licensee, the lifetime licenses serve in lieu of the equivalent annual license: Lifetime resident statewide hunting and trapping license; lifetime resident combination statewide hunting, fishing, and trapping license; lifetime resident statewide fishing license; and lifetime resident trout fishing license.
(b) The director shall
propose a rule for legislative approval in accordance with §29A-3-1 et seq.,
of this code, setting the fees for the lifetime licenses and shall have authority to promulgate emergency
legislative rules necessary to make effective the provisions of this section by
July 1, 2021. The fees for adult lifetime licenses shall be 23 times the fee
for the equivalent annual licenses or stamps. The rule shall provide that the fee for any resident who has not
reached his or her second 15th birthday shall be: one half of
the adult fee set under the rule. The rule shall also provide that the fee for
any resident who has not reached his or her 12th birthday and has been legally
adopted, shall be provided with a period of two years from the date of entry of
the order or decree of adoption to obtain his or her lifetime license at one
half of the adult fee set under the rule. The fees for lifetime licenses shall
be 23 times the fee for the equivalent annual licenses or stamps.
(1) 40% of the adult fee set under rule for any resident who has not reached his or her first birthday;
(2) 55% of the adult fee set under rule for any resident who is over one year old but has not reached his or her fifth birthday;
(3) 75% of the adult fee set under rule for any resident who is over five years old but has not reached his or her 10th birthday; and
(4) 90% of the adult fee set under rule for any resident who is over 10 years old but has not reached his or her 15th birthday.
The rule shall also provide that any resident who has not reached his or her 15th birthday and has been legally adopted shall be provided the same fee schedule, except the division shall use the date of entry of the order or decree of adoption as the licensee’s date of birth for purposes of calculating the appropriate fee.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to provide for tiered fee levels for resident lifetime licenses for residents who have not reached their 15th birthday.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.