| 17 | | - | Section 1. Section 47-65a of the general statutes is repealed and the 1 |
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| 18 | | - | following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2025): 2 |
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| 19 | | - | Notwithstanding the provisions of section 26-27, any Indian may 3 |
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| 20 | | - | take, hunt or trap any wild bird or quadruped on, or take or assist in 4 |
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| 21 | | - | taking any fish or bait species in the waters of, the reservation of such 5 |
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| 22 | | - | Indian's tribe without a license therefor, subject to the regulations 6 |
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| 23 | | - | promulgated by the council and to such seasonal and bag limitations as 7 |
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| 24 | | - | may be provided by law. The Commissioner of Energy and 8 |
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| 25 | | - | Environmental Protection shall issue, without fee, a private land deer 9 |
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| 26 | | - | permit to any Indian for use only on the reservation of such Indian's 10 |
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| 27 | | - | tribe, provided such reservation is not less than [two hundred fifty] ten 11 |
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| 28 | | - | acres in size and provided further no such Indian shall be issued more 12 |
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| 29 | | - | than one such permit per season. Such permit shall allow the use of a 13 |
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| 30 | | - | rifle, shotgun, muzzleloader or bow and arrow on such reservation land 14 |
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| 31 | | - | from November first until December thirty-first, inclusive, of each year. 15 |
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| 32 | | - | Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2025) The Commissioner of Energy 16 |
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| 33 | | - | and Environmental Protection shall develop a ceremonial taking permit 17 |
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| 34 | | - | for the taking of an animal specimen on state lands by any Indian for 18 Substitute Bill No. 5388 |
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| 24 | + | Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) There is established the 1 |
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| 25 | + | Connecticut Tribal Wildlife and Fisheries Commission that shall consist 2 |
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| 26 | + | of the following members: (1) One member from the Mashantucket 3 |
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| 27 | + | Pequot Tribal Nation and one member from the Mohegan Tribe; (2) one 4 |
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| 28 | + | member each from the Eastern Pequot Tribe, the Golden Hill Paugussett 5 |
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| 29 | + | Tribe and the Schaghticoke Tribe; (3) the Commissioner of Energy and 6 |
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| 30 | + | Environmental Protection, or the commissioner's designee; (4) one 7 |
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| 31 | + | member each from the Department of Energy and Environmental 8 |
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| 32 | + | Protection's Fisheries Division, Wildlife Division and Forestry Division; 9 |
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| 33 | + | (5) one member from the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station; 10 |
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| 34 | + | (6) one member from the Department of Agriculture; (7) one member 11 |
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| 35 | + | from the Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Aquaculture; (8) one 12 |
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| 36 | + | member from Connecticut Sea Grant; (9) one member from the Native 13 |
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| 37 | + | American and Indigenous Studies Department at The University of 14 |
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| 38 | + | Connecticut; (10) two indigenous persons appointed mutually by the 15 |
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| 39 | + | tribes named in this section; and (11) the chairpersons and ranking 16 |
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| 40 | + | members of the joint standing committee of the General Assembly 17 |
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| 41 | + | Committee Bill No. 5388 |
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| 39 | | - | ceremonial purposes provided: (1) There shall be no fee for such permit, 19 |
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| 40 | | - | (2) such permit shall allow for only one such taking, and (3) such 20 |
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| 41 | | - | specimen shall be a species that otherwise may be taken on state lands. 21 |
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| 46 | + | having cognizance of matters relating to the environment, or such 18 |
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| 47 | + | chairpersons' and such ranking members' designees. 19 |
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| 48 | + | (b) Such commission shall: (1) Develop tribally administered hunting 20 |
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| 49 | + | and fishing regulations within designated tribal lands and ancestral 21 |
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| 50 | + | territories; (2) oversee comanagement agreements between the tribes 22 |
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| 51 | + | and the state concerning such regulations; and (3) implement 23 |
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| 52 | + | sustainable conservation practices through tribal knowledge and 24 |
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| 53 | + | scientific research. 25 |
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| 54 | + | (c) The Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection shall 26 |
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| 55 | + | work with such commission to provide the Mashantucket Pequot and 27 |
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| 56 | + | Mohegan Tribes with the authority to regulate, enforce and issue 28 |
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| 57 | + | permits to the citizens of such tribes for hunting, fishing and gathering, 29 |
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| 58 | + | without interference from the state of Connecticut, on tribal and 30 |
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| 59 | + | ancestral lands. 31 |
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| 60 | + | Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) The Commissioner of Energy 32 |
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| 61 | + | and Environmental Protection shall undertake efforts to establish the 33 |
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| 62 | + | requisite state recognition of the exemption of members of federally 34 |
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| 63 | + | recognized tribes from state fishing and hunting licensing fee 35 |
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| 64 | + | requirements when such members engage in traditional subsistence or 36 |
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| 65 | + | ceremonial activities. Additionally, any such recognition shall recognize 37 |
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| 66 | + | historical indigenous harvesting sites and ensure tribal access to 38 |
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| 67 | + | fisheries and hunting areas consistent with federal Indian law. 39 |
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| 68 | + | (b) The commissioner shall provide, at no cost, a permit to engage in 40 |
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| 69 | + | ceremonial or subsistence hunting or fishing outside of reservation 41 |
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| 70 | + | lands, provided such hunting or fishing is consistent with state 42 |
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| 71 | + | conservation goals. 43 |
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| 72 | + | Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) Notwithstanding any 44 |
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| 73 | + | provision of the general statutes, the Commissioner of Energy and 45 |
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| 74 | + | Environmental Protection shall issue, at no cost, a lifetime hunting and 46 |
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| 75 | + | fishing license to any member of any federally recognized or state 47 |
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| 76 | + | recognized tribe in the state. 48 |
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| 77 | + | Committee Bill No. 5388 |
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| 78 | + | |
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| 79 | + | |
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| 80 | + | LCO No. 5709 3 of 3 |
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| 81 | + | |
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| 82 | + | (b) The Commissioner of Agriculture shall prioritize tribal meat and 49 |
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| 83 | + | fish processing facilities for funding and certification by the United 50 |
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| 84 | + | States Department of Agriculture to support food sovereignty of such 51 |
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| 85 | + | tribes. 52 |
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| 86 | + | Sec. 4. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) The Commissioners of Energy 53 |
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| 87 | + | and Environmental Protection and Agriculture shall ensure that any 54 |
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| 88 | + | member of a tribe that exercises a right, as described in sections 1 to 3, 55 |
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| 89 | + | inclusive, of this act is not subject to harassment, legal action, regulation 56 |
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| 90 | + | or any penalty for engaging in any activity conducted in accordance 57 |
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| 91 | + | with the provisions of such sections or any other agreement or 58 |
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| 92 | + | authorization entered into pursuant to such sections. 59 |
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