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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