Brief(1)
H.B. 2492 would authorize the Secretary of the Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) to issue lifetime furharvester licenses. The fee for a lifetime furharvester license from the effective date of the bill through calendar year 1999 would be $240. After 1999, the bill would establish the range for a lifetime furharvester license fee from a $200 minimum to a $300 maximum, and a range for an applicant who wishes to pay the fee in eight quarterly payments. The bill would establish the minimum for the eight quarterly payments at $30 and the maximum at $45.
In addition, the bill would permit the Secretary of Wildlife and Parks to adopt rules and regulations to permit the members of the immediate family of a person who is on active duty with any branch or department of the armed forces of the United States and who was a Kansas resident immediately prior to entering the armed forces, to purchase licenses, permits, stamps, and other issues of KDWP and to engage in any activity authorized by those issues as if the persons were residents of Kansas. These persons would have to be domiciled with the person who is on active duty.
Further, the bill would require the exhibition of a person's certification of completion of an approved hunter education course prior to the issuance of a hunting license, lifetime hunting license, or lifetime combination hunting and fishing license if the person was born after July 1, 1957.
Lastly, the bill would require the Secretary of Wildlife and Parks to increase the number of "antlerless only deer" permits issued each year in a management unit by a percentage equal to not less than the average yearly percentage increase in deer-related motor vehicle accidents reported to the Department of Transportation during the two most recent calendar years.
Background
Appearing in support of the bill before the House Agriculture Committee was Representative Humerickhouse, the Secretary of the Department of Wildlife and Parks, and a private citizen. Written support was provided by another individual. There were no opponents to the bill.
The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources amended the bill to permit members of the immediate family of a person who is on active duty with the armed forces and who was a Kansas resident to purchase issues of KDWP as if the members of the immediate family were Kansas residents. The members of the immediate family would have to be domiciled with the person who is on active duty and who was a Kansas resident immediately prior to entry into the armed forces.
The Senate Committee of the Whole amended the bill to require the exhibition of a person's certification of completion of an approved hunter education course at the time of purchasing a hunting license, lifetime hunting license, or lifetime combination hunting and fishing license if the person was born after July 1, 1957. In addition, the bill was amended to require the increase of the number of "antlerless only deer" permits issued in a deer management area based upon the average increase in the number of deer-related motor vehicle accidents in that particular deer management area.
The fiscal note on the original bill indicates that there would be an increase in state revenues of $16,250 in FY 2000, according to KDWP. The original note states that the distribution of the increase would be $15,275 to the Wildlife Conservation Fund and $975 to the Wildlife Fee Fund. The original note indicates that the increase was based on the assumption that approximately 65 Kansas residents would purchase a lifetime furharvester license.
1. *Supplemental notes are prepared by the Legislative Research Department and do not express legislative intent. The supplemental note and fiscal note for this bill may be accessed on the Internet at http://www.ink.org/public/legislative/bill_search.html.