Read first time 01/15/20.Referred to Committee on Rural Development, Agriculture, & Natural Resources.

AN ACT Relating to simplifying the hunting seasons and regulations pamphlet published by the department of fish and wildlife; adding a new section to chapter 77.32 RCW; and creating a new section.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) While hunting participation has been in decline recently, it is still an important activity for many Washingtonians as an opportunity to put healthy, local food on the table and foster a greater understanding and respect for where food comes from.

(2) The legislature recognizes that the duty of the department of fish and wildlife to preserve, protect, perpetuate, and manage the wildlife of the state includes setting hunting seasons and bag limits to ensure healthy wildlife populations and hunting opportunities into the future. Part of that responsibility includes communicating information about hunting seasons and regulations to the public.

(3) The legislature finds that the hunting seasons and regulations pamphlet published for the hunting season beginning April 1, 2019, is more than one hundred thirty pages long and contains complicated legal descriptions of game management units, which makes it a difficult resource to use out in the field. Further, the complicated information presented in this format may act as a deterrent to some who may otherwise hunt, contributing to the decline in hunting participation.

(4) In 1969, the Washington game department published hunting seasons and bag limits in the form of a one page, foldable document with information about hunting seasons on one side, and a Washington state highway map with an overlay of each game management unit on the other side. The legislature finds that this format would be much more usable for hunters out in the field than a booklet containing more than one hundred thirty pages of information.

(5) The legislature intends to direct the department of fish and wildlife to simplify the current complicated hunting seasons and regulations pamphlet and design the pamphlet with inspiration from the 1969 publication.

(1) Each hunting season, the department must publish the hunting seasons and regulations on a two-sided foldable document that includes a map of Washington containing, at a minimum:

(b) Federally designated wilderness area, national forest, military reservation, and national park boundaries;

(2) The reverse side of the document must include: Hunting season dates and regulations by species; general regulations and laws pertaining to hunting; any special license requirements; and contact information for each of the department's regional offices and headquarters.

(3) The document may also contain any other additional information that would help hunters in the field understand and abide by hunting regulations.