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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR Hanosh

DATE TYPED 2/1/05

HB 203

SHORT TITLE Game & Fish Liability Suspense Account

SB

ANALYST Aguilar

REVENUE

Estimated Revenue

Subsequent

Years Impact

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY05

FY06

Indeterminate

Indeterminate Recurring

Game Protection

Funds

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Revenue Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Department of Game and Fish (DGF)

Department of Finance and Administration (DFA)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 203 creates a suspense account from which the Department of Game and Fish, in cer-

tain circumstances, may refund hunting license fees. Circumstances eligible for refund consid-

eration include cases of death, disability or military deployment. The bill also authorizes the di-

rector to transfer hunting licenses when the licensee has died, is disabled, is deployed in the mili-

tary or when a licensee wishes to donate their license to a nonprofit agency approved by the State

Game Commission.

Significant Issues

The Department of Game and Fish reports a number of requests are received annually from hunt-

ing license holders for refunds or transfers of licenses for a variety of reasons. Current statutes

do not provide a mechanism for honoring these requests. The only reference in current law to

refunds of licenses purchased comes from an Attorney General’s opinion. This reference in the

compilers’ notes states that there are no provisions for reimbursement of license fees in any cir-

cumstance. Many of the requests submitted are due to a hunter’s death, disability or military ac-

House Bill 203 -- Page 2

tivation. This bill would provide a way to refund or transfer licenses issued to hunters experienc-

ing these situations. It would also define the circumstances under which license holder could

donate their license to a non-profit wish-making organization.

PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

The bill would provide the department with the authorization necessary to honor requests from

the public that current statutes do not accommodate. HB 203 does not directly relate to the de-

partment’s performance measures, but increasing flexibility in this area should lead to increased

satisfaction with the department’s customer service.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

Providing refunds to license holders not currently eligible to receive these refunds may have an

impact to the agency’s revenues. It is not expected to be a significant impact on overall reve-

nues.

PA/lg