Title: An act relating to the treatment of the nonresident children of state residents for the purposes of hunting and fishing licenses.

Brief Description: Modifying the definition of "resident" for the purposes of Title 77 RCW.

Sponsors: By Representatives Buri, Kretz, Green, Grant, Newhouse, Blake, DeBolt, Orcutt, Haler, B. Sullivan and Buck.

Brief History:

Natural Resources, Ecology & Parks: 2/15/05, 2/18/05 [DP].

Floor Activity:

Passed House: 3/4/05, 92-0.
Passed Senate: 4/6/05, 46-0.
Passed Legislature.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES, ECOLOGY & PARKS

Majority Report: Do pass. Signed by 10 members: Representatives B. Sullivan, Chair; Upthegrove, Vice Chair; Buck, Ranking Minority Member; Kretz, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Blake, DeBolt, Dickerson, Eickmeyer, Orcutt and Williams.

Staff: Jason Callahan (786-7117).

Background:

A recreational license issued by the Director of the Department of Fish and Wildlife (Department) is required for any person to participate in a hunting, trapping, or fishing season. The fee for these licenses are set in statute, and many fees are set so that participants that are not Washington residents pay a higher rate. For instance, Washington residents pay $18 for a saltwater fishing license, and non-residents are required to pay $36 for the same license. Likewise, the resident price for a small game license is set at $30, and the non-resident price is $150.

A person can qualify for the resident rate if he or she has satisfied three requirements:

• the maintenance of a permanent home within Washington for at least 90 days before applying to the Department for a licence;
• the establishment of an intent to continue living in Washington; and
• not possessing a current license to hunt or fish in another state as a resident.

Summary of Bill:

A person under the age of 18 who does not reside in Washington is able to purchase a hunting and fishing license from the Department at the lower resident rate if his or her parent qualifies for the resident rate.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For: Currently the only way that a child from out-of-state can hunt as a resident with his parent who lives in Washington is to lie about where he is from. This is not what we should be teaching children. The out-of-state rate is prohibitive for some parents and discourages them from teaching their children firearm safety skills and hunting ethics. Any bill that allows parents to hunt with their kids is a good idea, and the fiscal impact to the state would be minimal.

Testimony Against: None.

Persons Testifying: Representative Buri, prime sponsor; Robert A. Massu; and Tom Davis, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying: None.