Hunting and sport fishing licenses: reduced fees.

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Reduced Hunting and Sport Fishing License Fees

This law requires the Department of Fish and Wildlife to offer lower-cost hunting and sport fishing licenses to eligible California residents until January 1, 2032.

What This Bill Does

• Requires the Department of Fish and Wildlife to issue reduced fee hunting licenses to qualified California residents who have not been convicted under the Fish and Game Code and provide proper documentation.
• Requires the same for sport fishing licenses starting no later than January 1, 2027.
• Prohibits issuing a reduced fee license unless the department confirms eligibility through adequate documentation.
• Requires the Director of Fish and Wildlife to report on the impact of these reduced fees by October 1, 2029.

Who It Names or Affects

• California residents who qualify for reduced fee hunting and sport fishing licenses.
• The Department of Fish and Wildlife which will manage and enforce eligibility for these licenses.

Terms To Know

Fish and Game Code

A set of laws that regulate the taking, possession, importation, exportation, and transportation of fish, amphibians, reptiles, mollusks, crustaceans, and any other aquatic invertebrates; birds; mammals; and parts or products thereof.

Director of Fish and Wildlife

The head official responsible for managing the Department of Fish and Wildlife which oversees wildlife protection and habitat conservation programs.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify what constitutes 'adequate documentation' for eligibility.
• It is unclear how many people will qualify for reduced fee licenses or what the financial impact on the department might be.

Official Summary Text

SB 718, as amended, Dahle.
Hunting and sport fishing licenses: reduced fees.
Existing law requires the Department of Fish and Wildlife to implement and administer various wildlife protection and habitat conservation programs and to enforce the state’s hunting and fishing laws. Existing law requires the department to issue hunting licenses that authorize the take of birds and mammals, and sport fishing licenses that authorize the take of fish, reptiles, or amphibians, in accordance with prescribed laws. Existing law sets the fees for those licenses at specified rates and requires those fees to be adjusted annually for inflation. Existing law requires the department to issue reduced fee hunting and sport fishing licenses to specified individuals, as provided.
This bill would require the department, until January 1,
2031, to issue
2032, to issue, beginning no later than January 1, 2027,
a reduced fee hunting license to a qualified recipient who is a resident of the state and has not been convicted of a violation of the Fish and Game Code and has provided adequate documentation to the
department, as specified.
department.
The bill would prohibit the department from providing a reduced fee hunting license to a person unless the department is satisfied that the person provided adequate documentation of eligibility. The bill would also require the department, until January 1,
2031,
2032,
to issue reduced fee sport fishing
licenses in accordance with these provisions. The bill would require the Director of Fish and Wildlife to submit a report to the Legislature on or before October 1, 2029, that evaluates the effect of the reduced fee for hunting and sport fishing licenses, as specified.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF