HB1566: relative to fishing licenses for senior veterans.

HB 1566-FN - AS INTRODUCED

2020 SESSION

20-2454

04/01

HOUSE BILL 1566-FN

AN ACT relative to fishing licenses for senior veterans.

SPONSORS: Rep. Gordon, Graf. 9

COMMITTEE: Fish and Game and Marine Resources

ANALYSIS

This bill requires the executive director of fish and game to issue a fishing license to any veteran age 65 or older at no cost regardless of the veterans' place of residence.

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

20-2454

04/01

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty

AN ACT relative to fishing licenses for senior veterans.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

1 Hunting, Fishing, and Trapping; Licenses for Veterans. Amend RSA 214:13 to read as follows:

214:13 Licenses for [Disabled] Veterans.

I. If the applicant for a [fishing,] hunting[,] or bow and arrow license is a resident of the state, has received a discharge other than dishonorable from service in the armed forces of the United States as defined in RSA 21:50, II and is totally and permanently disabled from such service-connected disability, the executive director shall issue a special veteran's license to said applicant. Said license shall be perpetual. The executive director shall retain the records for such licenses for a period not less than 7 years. Loss or destruction of the license after 7 years shall obligate the licensee to re-establish eligibility. A $10 administrative fee shall be charged once, upon application to the executive director for such license.

II.(a) If the applicant for a [fishing,] hunting[,] or bow and arrow license is a resident of the state, has received a discharge other than dishonorable from service in the armed forces of the United States as defined in RSA 21:50, II and is at least 80 percent but not 100 percent disabled from such service-connected disability for not more than 2 years, the executive director may issue a lifetime license to such applicant at 50 percent of the cost of a lifetime license under RSA 214:9-c calculated pursuant to RSA 214:9-c, II. The executive director shall comply with the requirements of 38 C.F.R. section 3.327 to determine if the applicant's disability qualifies the applicant to receive the license discount.

(b) If the applicant for a [fishing,] hunting[,] or bow and arrow license is a resident of the state, has received a discharge other than dishonorable from service in the armed forces of the United States as defined in RSA 21:50, II and is at least 80 percent but not 100 percent disabled from such service-connected disability for more than 2 years, the executive director shall issue a lifetime license to such applicant at 50 percent of the cost of a lifetime license under RSA 214:9-c calculated pursuant to RSA 214:9-c, II.

III. If the applicant for a fishing license is 65 years of age or older, has received a discharge other than dishonorable from service in the armed forces of the United States as defined in RSA 21:50, II, and is a resident of this or any state, the District of Columbia, or any United States commonwealth or territory, the executive director shall issue a special veteran's license to the applicant at no cost. The license shall be perpetual. A $10 administrative fee shall be charged once, upon application to the executive director for this license.

2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.

LBAO

20-2454

11/21/19

HB 1566-FN- FISCAL NOTE

AS INTRODUCED

AN ACT relative to fishing licenses for senior veterans.

FISCAL IMPACT: [ X ] State [ ] County [ ] Local [ ] None

Estimated Increase / (Decrease)

STATE:

FY 2020

FY 2021

FY 2022

FY 2023

Appropriation

$0

$0

$0

$0

Revenue

$0

Indeterminable Decrease

Indeterminable Decrease

Indeterminable Decrease

Expenditures

$0

$0

$0

$0

Funding Source:

[ ] General [ ] Education [ ] Highway [ X ] Other - Fish and Game Fund

METHODOLOGY:

This bill establishes a special veterans fishing license available to any resident or non-resident, who is at least 65 years of age, and who has been honorably discharged from any armed service of the United States, for a one-time administration fee of $10. The Fish and Game Department cannot estimate this bill’s impact on revenue as the number of individuals currently licensed that would be eligible for this new license type is unknown. The following are the current license costs:

License Type (All Freshwater)

Annual Fee

Resident

Non-Resident

Fishing

$45

$63

1-Day Fishing

$10

$15

3-Day Fishing

N/A

$28

7-Day Fishing

N/A

$35

Senior Fishing (68+)

$7

N/A

AGENCIES CONTACTED:

Fish and Game Department