Brief ⁽¹⁾

SB 148, as amended, would reinstate prior law that required all nonresidents 65 years of age or older to purchase a fishing license. In addition, the bill would clarify that residents 65 years of age or older are not required to purchase a hunting or fishing license. The bill would become effective upon publication in the Kansas Register.

Background

The only conferee on the bill was a spokesperson from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. The spokesperson explained that the bill was a clean-up bill from legislation passed during the 2000 Legislative Session. The conferee stated that the bill would reinstate previous law that required all nonresidents 65 years of age or older to purchase a fishing license. The conferee stated that the 2000 legislation created an exemption for nonresidents 65 or older concerning fishing licenses and that nonresident seniors had not previously been exempt from purchasing a fishing license. The other provision of the bill confuses the state policy of exempting resident seniors from the requirement to purchase a hunting or fishing license.

The fiscal note indicates that the bill would result in additional revenue for the Wildlife Fee Fund, however, it was not possible to estimate the amount.

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/fulltext.cgi