EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
amendment.
Italics indicate opposite chamber/conference committee amendments.
*hb0715*
HOUSE BILL 715
M2 (4lr1496)
ENROLLED BILL
— Environment and Transportation/Education, Energy, and the Environment —
Introduced by Delegates Griffith, Adams, Allen, Anderton, Arikan, Baker, Bouchat,
Buckel, Chisholm, Ciliberti, Fair, Ghrist, Grammer, Hartman, Hinebaugh,
Hornberger, Howard, Hutchinson, Jacobs, D. Jones, Kipke, R. Long,
Mangione, McComas, Miller, T. Morgan, Munoz, Nawro cki, Pippy, Reilly,
Rogers, Rose, Schmidt, Stonko, Tomlinson, and Valentine Valentine, and
Guyton
Read and Examined by Proofreaders:
_______________________________________________
Proofreader.
_______________________________________________
Proofreader.
Sealed with the Great Seal and presented to the Governor, for his approval this
_______ day of _______________ at ________________________ o’clock, ________M.
______________________________________________
Speaker.
CHAPTER ______
AN ACT concerning 1
Fishing and Hunting Licenses and Trout Stamps – Complimentary Licenses and 2
Stamp Exemption – Veterans Determined to Be Unemployable 3
FOR the purpose of authorizing the Department of Natural Resources to issue certain 4
complimentary fishing and hunting licenses to certain veterans who the U.S. 5
Department of Veterans Affairs determines are unemployable; exempting certain 6
veterans who the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs determines are unemployable 7
from the requirement to obtain a trout stamp; and generally relating to fishing and 8
hunting licenses and trout stamps. 9
2 HOUSE BILL 715
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 1
Article – Natural Resources 2
Section 4–607, 4–614(a), 4–745(e), and 10–303(a) 3
Annotated Code of Maryland 4
(2023 Replacement Volume and 2023 Supplement) 5
BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 6
Article – Natural Resources 7
Section 4–745(a)(1) 8
Annotated Code of Maryland 9
(2023 Replacement Volume and 2023 Supplement) 10
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 11
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 12
Article – Natural Resources 13
4–607. 14
(a) (1) The Department may issue annually a complimentary angler’s license 15
to the President of the United States, the governor of any state, and any official of the game 16
and fish department of any other state. 17
(2) The Department may issue a lifetime complimentary angler’s license to 18
any Maryland resident who certifies that the resident is [a]: 19
(I) A former prisoner of war; 20
(II) AN AMERICAN VETERAN WHO THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF 21
VETERANS AFFAIRS DETERMINES IS UNEMPLOYABLE ; or 22
(III) A 100% service connected disabled American veteran. 23
(3) The Department may issue a lifetime complimentary angler’s license to 24
an out–of–state person [who]: 25
(I) WHO certifies that the person is [a]: 26
1. A former prisoner of war; 27
2. AN AMERICAN VETERAN WHO THE U.S. DEPARTMENT 28
OF VETERANS AFFAIRS DETERMINES IS UNEMPLOYABLE ; or [a] 29
3. A 100% service connected disabled American veteran [if 30
the person’s]; AND 31
HOUSE BILL 715 3
(II) WHOSE state of residence extends similar privileges to [former 1
prisoners of war, AMERICAN VETERANS WHO THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 2
AFFAIRS DETERMINES AR E UNEMPLOYABLE , or 100% service connected disabled 3
American veterans of this State] THE INDIVIDUALS SPECIFIE D IN ITEM (I) OF THIS 4
PARAGRAPH PARAGRAPH (2) OF THIS SUBSECTION . 5
(b) Not more than 20 complimentary angler’s licenses for each state other than 6
Maryland shall be outstanding at any time. 7
(c) A complimentary angler’s license is not transferable and shall be issued 8
without a fee. 9
(d) For the purposes of this section, “former prisoner of war” means a person who, 10
while serving in the active military, naval, or air service of the United States, was forcibly 11
detained or interned in the line of duty by an enemy government or its agents, or a hostile 12
force, during a period of armed conflict. 13
4–614. 14
(a) (1) The Department shall adopt regulations to establish fishing areas 15
where a trout stamp is required. 16
(2) Except as provided in paragraph (3) of this subsection, a person may 17
not fish or possess trout in an area established in paragraph (1) of this subsection unless 18
the person first obtains a trout stamp in addition to an angler’s license. 19
(3) A trout stamp is not required of the following: 20
(i) A holder of a current resident consolidated senior sport fishing 21
license issued under § 4–216 of this title; 22
(ii) A holder of a lifetime complimentary angler’s license [for 100% 23
service connected disabled American veterans or former prisoners of war] issued under § 24
4–607(a)(2) or (3) of this subtitle; 25
(iii) A person authorized by a disability exemption issued under § 26
4–217 of this title; 27
(iv) Any resident serving in the armed forces of the United States 28
while on leave in the State, during the resident’s leave period, if, while angling, the resident 29
possesses a copy of the resident’s official leave order; or 30
(v) A person under 16 years of age. 31
(4) The stamp may be obtained from the Department or an authorized 32
agent of the Department. 33 4 HOUSE BILL 715
4–745. 1
(a) (1) Except as provided in subsections (c) and (d) of this section and § 4–217 2
of this title, a person may not fish for finfish in the Chesapeake Bay or in its tributaries up 3
to tidal boundaries or in State waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Atlantic coastal bays 4
and their tributaries without first obtaining a Chesapeake Bay and coastal sport fishing 5
license or registration issued under subsection (d)(3) of this section and possessing the 6
license or registration. 7
(e) (1) In this subsection, “former prisoner of war” means a person who, while 8
serving in the active military, naval, or air service of the United States, was forcibly 9
detained or interned in the line of duty by an enemy government or its agents, or a hostile 10
force, during a period of armed conflict. 11
(2) The Department may issue a lifetime complimentary Chesapeake Bay 12
and coastal sport fishing license to any Maryland resident who certifies that the resident 13
is [a]: 14
(I) A former prisoner of war; 15
(II) AN AMERICAN VETERAN WHO THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF 16
VETERANS AFFAIRS DETERMINES IS UNEMPLOYABLE ; or [a] 17
(III) A 100% service connected disabled American veteran. 18
(3) The Department may issue a lifetime complimentary Chesapeake Bay 19
and coastal sport fishing license to an out–of–state person [who]: 20
(I) WHO certifies that the person is [a]: 21
1. A former prisoner of war; 22
2. AN AMERICAN VETERAN WHO THE U.S. DEPARTMENT 23
OF VETERANS AFFAIRS DETERMINES IS UNEMPLOYABLE ; or [a] 24
3. A 100% service connected disabled American veteran [if 25
the person’s]; AND 26
(II) WHOSE state of residence extends similar privileges to [former 27
prisoners of war, AMERICAN VETERANS WHO THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 28
AFFAIRS DETERMINES AR E UNEMPLOYABLE , or 100% service connected disabled 29
American veterans of this State] THE INDIVIDUALS SPECIFIE D IN ITEM (I) OF THIS 30
PARAGRAPH PARAGRAPH (2) OF THIS SUBSECTION . 31
HOUSE BILL 715 5
(4) A complimentary Chesapeake Bay and coastal sport fishing license is 1
not transferable. 2
(5) The Department may issue annually a complimentary Chesapeake Bay 3
and coastal sport fishing license to the President of the United States, the governor of any 4
state, and any official of the game and fish department of any other state. 5
(6) Not more than 20 complimentary Chesapeake Bay and coastal sport 6
fishing licenses for each state other than Maryland shall be outstanding at any time. 7
10–303. 8
(a) (1) The Department annually may issue a complimentary hunting license 9
to the President of the United States, the governor of any state, or an official or an 10
enforcement officer of the game and fish management agency of another state which 11
reciprocally offers complimentary hunting licenses. 12
(2) (i) Subject to the requirements of § 10–301.1 of this subtitle, the 13
Department may issue a lifetime complimentary hunting license to a Maryland resident 14
who certifies that the resident is [a]: 15
1. A former prisoner of war; 16
2. AN AMERICAN VETERAN WHO THE U.S. DEPARTMENT 17
OF VETERANS AFFAIRS DETERMINES IS UNEMPLOYABLE ; or 18
3. A 100% service connected disabled American veteran. 19
(ii) Subject to the requirements of § 10–301.1 of this subtitle, the 20
Department may issue a lifetime complimentary hunting license to an out–of–state person 21
[who]: 22
1. WHO certifies that the person is [a]: 23
A. A former prisoner of war; 24
B. AN AMERICAN VETERAN WHO THE U.S. DEPARTMENT 25
OF VETERANS AFFAIRS DETERMINES IS UNEMPLOYABLE ; or [a] 26
C. A 100% service connected disabled American veteran [if 27
the person’s]; AND 28
2. WHOSE state of residence extends similar privileges to 29
[former prisoners of war, AMERICAN VETERANS WHO THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF 30
VETERANS AFFAIRS DETERMINES AR E UNEMPLOYABLE , or 100% service connected 31 6 HOUSE BILL 715
disabled American veterans of this State] THE INDIVIDUALS SPEC IFIED IN ITEM 1 OF 1
THIS SUBPARAGRAPH SUBPARAGRAPH (I) OF THIS PARAGRAPH . 2
(3) A complimentary license is not transferable. 3
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 4
1, 2024. 5
Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.