California Senate Bill SB1288 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: SB 1288AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 26, 2012 AMENDED IN SENATE MARCH 26, 2012 INTRODUCED BY Senator Harman (Coauthors: Senators Berryhill, Cannella, and Correa) (Coauthor: Assembly Member Cook) FEBRUARY 23, 2012 An act to amend Section 3033 of the Fish and Game Code, relating to wildlife resources. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 1288, as amended, Harman. Hunting licenses.  Existing law generally requires a   Under existing law, a  hunting license  for the taking of a bird or mammal   grants the privilege to take birds and mammals  . Existing law requires the Department of Fish and Game to issue a  hunting  license, upon payment of a fee, to eligible California residents and nonresidents, as specified. Existing law requires the department to issue a reduced fee hunting  license, as specified, to a disabled veteran, as defined. This bill would also require the department to issue a reduced fee  hunting  license to military personnel who are recovering service members, as defined, and who demonstrate eligibility, as prescribed. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 3033 of the Fish and Game Code is amended to read: 3033. (a) The department shall, upon application and payment of a fee, issue a reduced fee hunting license, that authorizes the licensee to take any bird or mammal as otherwise authorized pursuant to this code and regulations adopted pursuant thereto, to a disabled veteran, as defined in subdivision (b), or to a recovering service member, as defined in subdivision (c), who has not been convicted of any violation of this code. The base license fee for a reduced fee hunting license shall be four dollars ($4) for the hunting license year beginning on July 1, 1995, and, for the following years, this license fee may be annually reviewed and adjusted in accordance with Section 713. (b) "Disabled veteran" means a person having a 50 percent or greater service-connected disability and an honorable discharge from military service. The person shall be eligible upon presentation of proof of an honorable discharge from military service and proof of the disability. Proof of the disability shall be by certification from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs or by presentation of a license issued pursuant to this section in the preceding license year. (c) "Recovering service member" means a member of the military who meets the definition of "recovering service member" in Section 1602 (7)  of  the  federal  National Defense Administration Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (Public Law 110-181). A person shall be eligible for a reduced fee hunting license pursuant to this subdivision upon the submission of a letter, online or in hardcopy, to the department from that person's commanding officer  and   or  from a military medical doctor stating that the person is a recovering service member. (d) A person applying for a reduced fee  sport fishing   hunting  license shall submit adequate documentation for the department to determine whether the person is, in fact, eligible for a reduced fee  sport fishing   hunting  license. The department shall not issue a reduced fee  sport fishing   hunting  license to any person unless it is satisfied that the person has provided adequate documentation of eligibility for that license.