General Assembly Committee Bill No. 116
February Session, 2010 LCO No. 1874
*01874SB00116ENV*
Referred to Committee on Environment
Introduced by:
(ENV)
General Assembly
Committee Bill No. 116
February Session, 2010
LCO No. 1874
*01874SB00116ENV*
Referred to Committee on Environment
Introduced by:
(ENV)
AN ACT CONCERNING CAMPING FEES PAID BY STATE RESIDENTS AND NONRESIDENTS AND AUTHORIZING CERTAIN HUNTING OF DEER BY PISTOL AND REVOLVER.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 23-16 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
The Commissioner of Environmental Protection may execute with residents and nonresidents of this state leases of camping sites and buildings on the state parks for limited periods except as provided in section 23-16a and the proceeds from such leases, together with any other income resulting from the use of the state parks, shall be added to the General Fund as provided in section 23-15. [Not later than April 1, 1982, said commissioner shall establish a schedule of fees payable for the leasing of state camping sites and buildings in amounts not less than one hundred seventy-five per cent of the amounts charged according to the schedule of camping permit fees established by said commissioner and in effect as of April 1, 1980.] Not later than April 1, 2010, said commissioner shall establish a schedule of fees payable for the leasing of state camping sites and buildings for residents of this state in amounts not greater than one hundred twenty per cent of the amounts charged according to the schedule of camping permit fees established by said commissioner and in effect as of April 1, 2009. Not later than April 1, 2010, said commissioner shall establish a schedule of fees payable for the leasing of state camping sites and buildings for nonresidents of this state in amounts not greater than one hundred fifty per cent of the amounts charged according to the schedule of camping permit fees established by said commissioner and in effect as of the effective date of this section. Annually not later than the first day of November said commissioner shall allocate from funds available for state park and forest areas in the then current fiscal year, an amount not less than fifty per cent of the portion of such fees collected in the preceding fiscal year directly related to the amount of increase in such fees as required in this section, to be used for purposes of maintenance and improvement of such state camping sites and buildings. Any fees paid for any lease under this section shall not be subject to refund under section 22a-10 unless (1) the lessee gives notice of cancellation to the commissioner not later than fourteen days prior to the date such lease is to commence, (2) the park is closed by executive order of the Governor, or (3) the lessee submits proof, satisfactory to the commissioner, of a death or serious illness in the family which prevents use of the facility during the period of the lease. The commissioner may deduct a reasonable service charge from any amount refunded pursuant to subdivisions (1) and (3) of this section.
Sec. 2. Section 26-86a of the 2010 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
(a) The commissioner shall establish by regulation adopted in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54 standards for deer management, and methods, regulated areas, bag limits, seasons and permit eligibility for hunting deer with bow and arrow, muzzleloader and shotgun, except that no such hunting shall be permitted on Sunday. No person shall hunt, pursue, wound or kill deer with a firearm without first obtaining a deer permit from the commissioner in addition to the license required by section 26-27. Application for such permit shall be made on forms furnished by the commissioner and containing such information as he may require. Such permit shall be of a design prescribed by the commissioner, shall contain such information and conditions as the commissioner may require, and may be revoked for violation of any provision of this chapter or regulations adopted pursuant thereto. As used in this section, "muzzleloader" means a rifle or shotgun of at least forty-five caliber, incapable of firing a self-contained cartridge, which uses powder, a projectile, including, but not limited to, a standard round ball, mini-balls, maxi-balls and Sabot bullets, and wadding loaded separately at the muzzle end and "rifle" means a long gun the projectile of which is six millimeters or larger in diameter. The fee for a firearms permit shall be twenty-eight dollars for residents of the state and one hundred dollars for nonresidents, except that any nonresident who is an active full-time member of the armed forces, as defined in section 27-103, may purchase a firearms permit for the same fee as is charged a resident of the state. The commissioner shall issue, without fee, a private land deer permit to the owner of ten or more acres of private land and the husband or wife, parent, grandparent, sibling and any lineal descendant of such owner, provided no such owner, husband or wife, parent, grandparent, sibling or lineal descendant shall be issued more than one such permit per season. Such permit shall allow the use of a rifle, shotgun, muzzleloader or bow and arrow on such land from November first to December thirty-first, inclusive. Deer may be so hunted at such times and in such areas of such state-owned land as are designated by the Commissioner of Environmental Protection and on privately owned land with the signed consent of the landowner, on forms furnished by the department, and such signed consent shall be carried by any person when so hunting on private land. The owner of ten acres or more of private land may allow the use of a rifle to hunt deer on such land during the shotgun season. The commissioner shall determine, by regulation, the number of consent forms issued for any regulated area established by said commissioner. The commissioner shall provide for a fair and equitable random method for the selection of successful applicants who may obtain shotgun and muzzleloader permits for hunting deer on state lands. Any person whose name appears on more than one application for a shotgun permit or more than one application for a muzzleloader permit shall be disqualified from the selection process for such permit. No person shall hunt, pursue, wound or kill deer with a bow and arrow without first obtaining a bow and arrow permit pursuant to section 26-86c. "Bow and arrow" as used in this section and in section 26-86c means a bow with a draw weight of not less than forty pounds. The arrowhead shall have two or more blades and may not be less than seven-eighths of an inch at the widest point. No person shall carry firearms of any kind while hunting with a bow and arrow under said sections. The commissioner shall issue, upon payment of a five-dollar fee, to the owner of ten or more acres of private land or a resident of this state, who has the consent of the owner of ten or more acres of private land, a private land pistol or revolver permit that allows the use of a pistol or revolver, as defined in section 29-27, to hunt deer from November first to December thirty-first, inclusive, pursuant to the bag limit established for a private land deer permit under this subsection. Any person authorized to hunt deer by pistol or revolver pursuant to this subsection shall use a cartridge of .22 caliber or larger for such purpose.
(b) Any person who takes a deer without a permit shall be fined not less than two hundred dollars or more than five hundred dollars or imprisoned not less than thirty days or more than six months or shall be both fined and imprisoned, for the first offense, and for each subsequent offense shall be fined not less than two hundred dollars or more than one thousand dollars or imprisoned not more than one year or shall be both fined and imprisoned.
Sec. 3. Section 26-35 of the 2010 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
Each firearms hunting, archery hunting, trapping or sport fishing license or the combination firearms hunting and fishing license, except licenses issued pursuant to subdivisions (4), (17) and (19) of subsection (a) of section 26-28, shall expire December thirty-first next following the date of issue and shall not be transferable. No person shall change or alter such a license or loan to another or permit another to have or use such license issued to himself or use any license issued to another. All licenses shall be carried as designated by the commissioner at all times when such licensee is hunting, trapping or sport fishing and shall be produced for examination upon demand of any conservation officer or other employee of the department designated by the commissioner or any other officer authorized to make arrests or the owner or lessee or the agent of any owner or lessee of any land or water upon which such licensed person may be found. Whenever the commissioner has designated any land or water area a wildlife management study area, he may require such licensee to surrender his license upon entering such area and issue to the licensee an arm band, back tag or other identification. The license shall be returned to the licensee upon leaving such area. Each person receiving a license to hunt or to trap shall make an annual report to the commissioner in such form and at such time as may be required by him showing the numbers and kinds of birds and quadrupeds killed or trapped. A firearms hunting or a combination firearms hunting and fishing license shall not authorize the carrying or possession of a pistol or revolver, except as provided in section 23-16, as amended by this act.
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1 from passage 23-16
Sec. 2 from passage 26-86a
Sec. 3 from passage 26-35
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1
from passage
23-16
Sec. 2
from passage
26-86a
Sec. 3
from passage
26-35
Statement of Purpose:
To lower camping fees for state residents from their current levels, increase camping fees for nonresidents from their current levels and authorize the hunting of deer by pistol or revolver under certain conditions.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]
Co-Sponsors: SEN. PRAGUE, 19th Dist.
Co-Sponsors:
SEN. PRAGUE, 19th Dist.
S.B. 116