SB 397

This bill allows a resident or nonresident child with a disability to obtain an

annual fishing license for no fee.

Under current law, a resident who produces evidence of a disability, including

a certificate from certain health care providers that the person's sight is impaired or

evidence that he or she is receiving federal benefits on the basis of a determination

that he or she is disabled, is eligible to obtain an annual disabled person fishing

license at a lower fee than an annual resident fishing license ($6.25 compared to

$19.25). Current law requires that, if a person applies for such a license from a

nongovernmental issuing agent of the Department of Natural Resources, the agent

must forward the application and evidence provided to DNR and must issue to the

person a temporary disabled person fishing license, which is valid for 14 days. DNR

then has 30 days to either issue or deny the annual disabled person fishing license.

Under current law, generally an issuing fee of $0.75 is charged for each fishing

license issued. Generally, an issuing agent may retain $0.50 of each issuing fee for

a license it issues, but current law allows a nongovernmental issuing agent to retain

all of the issuing fee charged for a temporary disabled person fishing license in order

to compensate for services in issuing the license. Under current law, an annual

nonresident fishing license has a fee of $49.25.

The bill requires DNR or a county clerk appointed as an issuing agent of DNR,

after investigation, to issue an annual fishing license, without charging a fee, to any

person who is a resident or nonresident child with a disability at the time the person

applies for this license if he or she produces a certificate of the disability from a

licensed physician or psychologist who has personally examined the child and who

has expertise concerning the type of physical or mental disability evidenced by the

child. Under the bill, if a person submits an application for an annual fishing license

for a child with a disability and evidence of a disability to a nongovernmental issuing

agent, the agent must follow the same procedure as for an annual disabled person

fishing license: issue a temporary disabled person fishing license and submit the

application and evidence to DNR, subject to the same timelines. However, the bill

provides that no issuing fee may be charged for an annual or temporary fishing

license for a child with a disability.