AB 473

Under current law, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) issues two

types of bear hunting licenses. The Class A bear license allows the license holder to

shoot and kill bear. The Class B bear license allows the license holder to assist a Class

A bear license holder in pursuing bear, to bait bear, and to train dogs to pursue bear,

but, except under very limited circumstances, it does not allow the license holder to

actually shoot or kill bear. DNR administers a cumulative preference system for

issuing Class A bear licenses if the number of applicants for the licenses exceeds the

number of licenses available. The more preference points an applicant has, the

higher the priority he or she is given in the issuance of the Class A bear license.

This bill allows a person who is issued a Class A bear license to transfer that

license to a person who was awarded a Purple Heart or to a person who is serving

on active duty in the U.S. armed forces (service member). The bill provides that a

Purple Heart recipient or service member may be the transferee of a Class A bear

license only once during his or her lifetime. The transfer of a license to a Purple Heart

recipient or service member does not affect the number of preference points the

transferee may have previously acquired under the cumulative preference system.

The bill allows both residents and nonresidents to transfer Class A bear licenses and

allows both residents and nonresident to be the transferees. No fee in addition to the

original fee paid by the transferor of the license is required except that, if a resident

transfers a license to a nonresident, the resident must pay a fee equal to the

difference between the fees for the nonresident and resident license. There is no

rebate of the fee if a nonresident transfers a license to a resident.