S-726                 _______________________________________________

                                                   SENATE BILL NO. 5653

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              50th Legislature                              1987 Regular Session

By Senators Bender and Vognild

Read first time 2/6/87 and referred to Committee on Natural Resources.

AN ACT Relating to game and game fish; and amending RCW 77.32.230.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

        Sec. 1.  Section 77.32.230, chapter 36, Laws of 1955 as last amended by section 6, chapter 464, Laws of 1985 and RCW 77.32.230 are each amended to read as follows:

          (1) A person ((sixty-five years of age or older)) who is an honorably discharged veteran of the United States armed forces having a service-connected disability and ((who has been a resident for five years may receive upon application a state hunting and fishing license free of charge)) whose service connected disabilities have been established as permanent in nature by the veterans administration and are rated from thirty to one hundred percent disabled as determined by the veterans administration shall receive upon application a permanent fishing and hunting license without charge.

Disabled veterans making application for a free fishing and hunting license shall provide the department with a copy of documents verifying the disability from the veterans administration.

          (2) Subject to subsection (7) of this section, a person seventy years of age or older who has been a resident for ten years may receive, upon application, a fishing license free of charge.

          (3) A blind person, or a person with a developmental disability as defined in RCW 71.20.016 with documentation of the disability from the department of social and health services, or a physically handicapped person confined to a wheelchair may receive upon application a fishing license free of charge.

           (4) A blind person or a physically handicapped person confined to a wheelchair who has been issued a card for a permanent disability under RCW 46.16.381 may use that card in place of a fishing license unless tags, permits, stamps, or punchcards are required by this chapter.

           (5) A fishing license is not required for persons under the age of fifteen.

           (6) Tags, permits, stamps, and punchcards required by this chapter shall be purchased separately by persons receiving a free or reduced-fee license.

          (7) (a) By January 1, 1986, the game commission shall adopt a policy determining the fee, if any is charged, and residency requirement for fishing licenses for residents seventy years of age or older.  Prior to adopting any policy, the commission shall hold state-wide hearings to learn concerns of interested citizens.  The commission shall consider the needs of low-income senior citizens and appropriate residency requirements for senior citizens.  If the commission recommends a change in the fishing license fees for residents over seventy years of age, the commission shall report to the next regular session of the legislature the reasons for recommending the change.

          (b) The department shall, in a timely manner, adopt by rule any fishing license fees and residency requirements recommended by the commission for persons seventy years of age or older.