AB 555

This bill creates a resident lifetime fishing license and provides for the

establishment of a lifetime fishing trust fund.

Under current law, with certain exceptions including an exception for residents

under the age of 16, no person may fish in this state unless the person has a valid

approval that authorizes fishing. The Department of Natural Resources issues

various fishing licenses, such as resident annual fishing licenses, one-day fishing

licenses, and two-day sports fishing licenses. This bill requires DNR also to issue

lifetime fishing licenses to residents.

Under the bill, a resident lifetime fishing license confers the privilege of an

annual fishing license. The holder of a resident lifetime fishing license must still

purchase a fishing stamp if the type of fishing in which he or she will be engaged

requires such a stamp. The bill establishes the fee for a resident lifetime fishing

license at 30 times the fee for a resident annual fishing license, which under current

law is $19.25 plus a 75-cent issuing fee. Thus, at the current rate, a resident lifetime

fishing license fee under the bill is $577.50, plus a 75-cent issuing fee.

Under current law, all proceeds from hunting and fishing license fees are

deposited in the conservation fund and appropriated to DNR for various purposes

relating to fish and wildlife management. This bill creates a lifetime fishing trust

fund and provides that all fees from the sale of resident lifetime fishing licenses are

deposited in that trust fund. The bill provides that, each fiscal year, all interest that

has accrued in the lifetime fishing trust fund and a prorated amount of the money

from each resident lifetime fishing license fee must be transferred from the lifetime

fishing trust fund to the conservation fund. The bill allows DNR to adopt rules

establishing a system for prorating resident lifetime fishing license fees for the

purposes of this transfer. The bill requires that the system for prorating these fees

must comply with the federal rules governing how lifetime licenses may be counted

for purposes of this state qualifying for funding under the federal Dingell-Johnson

Act.