FISCAL NOTEWEST virginia Legislature

2017 regular session

Introduced

Senate Bill 357

By Senators Weld, Plymale, Takubo, Miller, Maroney and Cline

[Introduced February 21, 2017; Referred
to the Committee on Natural Resources; and then to the Committee on Finance]

A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated §20-2-63, relating to exempting certain persons from fees for hunting, fishing and trapping licenses; providing that fees for hunting, trapping and fishing licenses are waived for volunteer firefighters; including eligibility requirements; requiring compliance with all other requirements to obtain license; and granting rule-making authority.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

That the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new section, designated §20-2-63, to read as follows:

ARTICLE 2. WILDLIFE RESOURCES.

§20-2-63. Waiver of fees for volunteer firefighters applying for hunting, trapping and fishing licenses.

(a) For any person who serves as a municipal volunteer firefighter who would otherwise be required to have a fishing license, hunting license or trapping permit, the fee to obtain said license or permit that would otherwise be required by the director by legislative rules issued pursuant to section forty-two of this article shall be waived.

(b) To be eligible for this fee waiver, a person applying for a license must submit an affidavit signed by the applicant’s fire chief, stating that the applicant is a volunteer firefighter.

(c) Any person seeking a fee waiver must provide all other information required by the director for issuance of the license and must comply with all other provisions of law relating to the applicable license or permit that is sought.

(d) The director may propose legislative rules setting forth the procedures for applying for and processing the application for fee waiver.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to waive the license for a hunting or fishing license or trapping permit for individuals who are currently serving as volunteer firefighters.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.