SB541: Bill Text

2003 Senate BILL 541

March 10, 2004 - Introduced by Senator Hansen. Referred to Committee on Environment and Natural Resources.

SB541,1,5 An Act to renumber and amend 29.164 (3) (b) 1.; to amend 29.164 (3) (b) 2., 29.164 (3) (c) (intro.), 29.164 (3) (cg), 29.164 (3) (ci), 29.164 (3) (cm), 29.164 (3) (cr) 1. and 29.563 (13) (a); and to create 29.164 (3) (b) 1g. and 29.563 (2) (a) 10. of the statutes; relating to: wild turkey hunting licenses issued to resident senior citizens.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

Under current law, no person may hunt wild turkey unless the person has a wild turkey hunting license, or other license authorizing the hunting of wild turkey, and a wild turkey hunting stamp attached to, or imprinted on, the license. Under current law, the Department of Natural Resources issues wild turkey hunting licenses to applicants according to a preference system. Under that system, qualified resident landowners receive first preference in obtaining a wild turkey hunting license. An applicant is a qualified resident landowner if the applicant is a state resident and owns at least 50 acres in one parcel in an established wild turkey hunting zone. State residents who have applied for, but who were not issued, a wild turkey hunting license in a previous season (previous resident applicants) receive second preference. All other resident applicants receive third preference. Nonresident landowners meeting similar qualifications as qualified resident landowners receive fourth preference, and all other nonresidents receive fifth, or last preference.

This bill gives first preference to residents who are at least 65 years old (resident senior citizens) under the preference system. As a result, qualified resident landowners receive second preference and all the other preference categories follow the qualified resident landowner preference category in the same order as they do under current law.

The bill exempts resident senior citizens from having to pay the base fee for a resident wild turkey hunting license. The bill does not exempt them from being issued, and paying for, a wild turkey hunting stamp or from any of the supplemental fees, such as the wildlife damage surcharge and license and stamp issuing fees.

For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

SB541, s. 1 Section 1. 29.164 (3) (b) 1. of the statutes is renumbered 29.164 (3) (b) 1m. and amended to read:

SB541,2,7 29.164 (3) (b) 1m. The department shall create a first 2nd preference category in the issuance of wild turkey hunting licenses to applicants who are qualified resident landowners. The number of licenses issued under this paragraph for a season for an established wild turkey hunting zone may not exceed 30% of all licenses issued for that season for that zone.

SB541, s. 2 Section 2. 29.164 (3) (b) 1g. of the statutes is created to read:

SB541,2,11 29.164 (3) (b) 1g. The department shall create a first preference category in the issuance of wild turkey hunting licenses to applicants who are resident senior citizens.

SB541, s. 3 Section 3. 29.164 (3) (b) 2. of the statutes, as affected by 2003 Wisconsin Act 67, is amended to read:

SB541,2,17 29.164 (3) (b) 2. For purposes of subd. 1. 1m., a qualified resident landowner is a resident who owns at least 50 acres in one parcel in an established wild turkey hunting zone. If more than one individual is the landowner of a single parcel of land, only one individual may be considered a qualified resident landowner.

SB541, s. 4 Section 4. 29.164 (3) (c) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB541,3,5 29.164 (3) (c) Second Third preference. (intro.) The department shall create a 2nd 3rd preference category in issuing wild turkey hunting licenses to resident applicants who in a previous season applied for but were not issued wild turkey hunting licenses:

SB541, s. 5 Section 5. 29.164 (3) (cg) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB541,3,9 29.164 (3) (cg) Third Fourth preference. The department shall create a 3rd 4th preference category in issuing wild turkey hunting licenses to all other resident applicants.

SB541, s. 6 Section 6. 29.164 (3) (ci) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB541,3,19 29.164 (3) (ci) Fourth Fifth preference. The department shall create a 4th 5th preference category in issuing wild turkey hunting licenses to applicants who are qualified nonresident landowners. For purposes of this paragraph, a qualified nonresident landowner is a person who is not a resident and who owns at least 50 acres in one parcel in an established wild turkey hunting zone and who agrees to allow other persons to hunt wild turkeys on that land if those persons first obtain permission to hunt from the landowner. If more than one individual is the landowner of a single parcel of land, only one individual may be considered a qualified nonresident landowner.

SB541, s. 7 Section 7. 29.164 (3) (cm) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB541,3,23 29.164 (3) (cm) Fifth Sixth preference. The department shall create a 5th 6th preference category in issuing wild turkey hunting licenses to all other nonresident applicants.

SB541, s. 8 Section 8. 29.164 (3) (cr) 1. of the statutes is amended to read:

SB541,4,10 29.164 (3) (cr) 1. In issuing licenses under the 2nd 3rd preference category under this subsection, the department shall give, within that preference category, a preference point to each applicant for each previous corresponding season for which the person applied but was not issued a wild turkey hunting license. The department shall create subcategories for each point total and place each applicant in the applicable subcategory. The department shall rank the subcategories according to the number of preference points received, giving higher priority to those subcategories with more points than those with fewer points. Applicants who fail to apply at least once during any 3 consecutive years shall lose all previously accumulated preference points.

SB541, s. 9 Section 9. 29.563 (2) (a) 10. of the statutes is created to read:

SB541,4,12 29.563 (2) (a) 10. Wild turkey issued to a resident senior citizen, $0.

SB541, s. 10 Section 10. 29.563 (13) (a) of the statutes, as affected by 2003 Wisconsin Act 33, is amended to read:

SB541,4,18 29.563 (13) (a) Surcharge generally. The surcharge for approvals listed under subs. (2) (a) 1., 2. and 4. to 9. 10. and (b) 1. to 8. and (4) (a) 1. and 1m. and (b) 1. and 1m. is $1 and shall be added to the fee specified for these approvals under subs. (2) and (4).

SB541, s. 11 Section 11. Initial applicability.

SB541,4,22 (1) This act first applies to applications for wild turkey hunting licenses that are submitted on the effective date of this subsection for the first wild turkey hunting season to begin after the effective date of this subsection.

SB541,4,23 (End)