REPORT TITLE:
Hunting; Licenses


DESCRIPTION:
Allows DLNR to adopt rules to establish an alternative hunter
education certificate to allow a licensed hunting guide to
provide licenses for foreign hunters to hunt in Hawaii.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES                H.B. NO.1719       
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                   A  BILL  FOR  AN  ACT

RELATING TO HUNTING.



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

 1      SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that Hawaii's current
 
 2 economic crisis requires innovative thinking to encourage
 
 3 visitors to come to Hawaii for activities other than sun and surf
 
 4 while at the same time generating money for state coffers.  One
 
 5 group that has not been courted regularly is the out-of-state, or
 
 6 foreign hunter who for whatever reason is unaware of the State's
 
 7 hunting license and hunting education certificate requirements,
 
 8 or who would like to use part of their vacation to hunt but do
 
 9 not know that this activity is available to tourists.  Hawaii is
 
10 special in that it has a twelve-month season for hunting and a
 
11 variety of targets ranging from game birds and deer.  Hawaii also
 
12 promotes responsible hunting by requiring all hunters to obtain a
 
13 hunter education certificate to instruct hunters in hunter
 
14 safety, principles of conservation, and good sportsmanship.  The
 
15 restriction on the foreign hunter is that they may be in Hawaii
 
16 for too short a time to obtain the hunter education certificate.
 
17 There are, however, ways to accommodate these tourists, by the
 
18 provision of guide services.  Licensed hunting guides would be
 
19 able to provide alternative hunting licenses.  This would also
 

 
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                                     H.B. NO.1719       
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1 help the economy of the State by bringing in foreign hunters who
 
 2 wish to hunt wild game, visit the rural areas of the State, and
 
 3 return home promoting Hawaii as a different kind of happy hunting
 
 4 ground.  The purpose of this Act is to allow an alternative
 
 5 hunting license to be provided to licensed hunting guides who
 
 6 serve foreign, out-of-state hunters with alternative hunting
 
 7 licenses.
 
 8      SECTION 2.  Section 183D-28, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
 9 amended to read as follows:
 
10      "�183D-28  Hunter education program.(a)  The department
 
11 shall establish a hunter education program to provide instruction
 
12 in hunter safety, principles of conservation, and sportsmanship.
 
13 Upon successful completion of the program, the department shall
 
14 issue to the graduate a hunter education certificate which shall
 
15 be valid for the life of the person.  This certification shall be
 
16 rescinded by judicial action upon the conviction of a wildlife
 
17 and/or firearms violation.  No person shall be eligible for a
 
18 hunting license unless the person possesses a valid hunter
 
19 education certificate or meets the requirements for exemption
 
20 provided in subsection (b)(2), and is either:
 
21      (1)  Born after December 31, 1971; or
 
22      (2)  Born before January 1, 1972, and has never been issued
 
23           a hunting license in the State.
 

 
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                                     H.B. NO.1719       
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1      (b)  A person who meets the minimum age requirements adopted
 
 2 pursuant to subsection (c) shall be exempt from the requirements
 
 3 of subsection (a) if the person:
 
 4      (1)  Was born before January 1, 1972, and at one time
 
 5           possessed a hunting license issued by the State;
 
 6           provided that the person shows satisfactory proof to
 
 7           the department that the person had possessed the
 
 8           hunting license; or
 
 9      (2)  Has successfully completed a course or program of
 
10           hunter education and safety which is approved by the
 
11           Hunter Education Association and meets the requirements
 
12           of chapter 12 of the United States Fish and Wildlife
 
13           Service Federal Aid Manual, as revised; provided that
 
14           the person shows satisfactory proof to the department
 
15           in the form of a certificate, wallet card, or other
 
16           document issued by a state or province agency
 
17           evidencing successful completion of the course or
 
18           program.
 
19 Upon application and satisfaction of the requirements of either
 
20 [paragraphs] paragraph (1) or (2), the department shall issue a
 
21 written exemption which shall be valid for the life of the
 
22 person.
 
23      (c)  The department, by rules adopted pursuant to chapter
 

 
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                                     H.B. NO.1719       
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1 91, shall establish minimum age requirements for issuance of the
 
 2 hunter education certificate, or the exemption therefrom,
 
 3 required to obtain a hunting license pursuant to section
 
 4 183D-22(a)(3).
 
 5      (d)  The department may establish a hunter education officer
 
 6 position to administer the program, outline all phases of
 
 7 instruction, conduct general supervision of individual programs,
 
 8 and distribute information on the program, or may contract the
 
 9 program to a qualified organization.
 
10      (e)  The department may construct, operate, and maintain
 
11 public outdoor and indoor target ranges for the program.
 
12      (f)  The department shall prepare reports as may be
 
13 necessary to seek approval under Public Law 91-503 for federal
 
14 assistance in this program of hunter safety, conservation, and
 
15 sportsmanship.
 
16      (g) The department, by rules adopted pursuant to chapter 91,
 
17 may establish an alternative hunter education certificate for
 
18 licensed hunting guides to serve out-of-state or foreign hunters
 
19 who are unable to obtain a hunter education certificate in their
 
20 home country or state.  The alternative hunter education
 
21 certificate shall serve non-resident hunters who are visiting
 
22 Hawaii for too brief a period to obtain their own hunter
 
23 education certificate.  Licensed hunting guides shall not be
 

 
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                                     H.B. NO.1719       
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1 exempt from fulfilling other requirements of this chapter and
 
 2 shall:
 
 3      (1)  Personally accompany an out-of-state or foreign hunter
 
 4           during any hunting excursion;
 
 5      (2)  Limit hunting excursions to private lands;
 
 6      (3)  Be charged a fee for each alternative hunting
 
 7           certificate purchased for each client; provided that
 
 8           cost shall be not less than the cost of an out-of-state
 
 9           license fee and not more than one hundred per cent of
 
10           that fee; provided further that twenty-five per cent of
 
11           the fees shall be designated and deposited into funds
 
12           supporting hunting and game habitat enhancement
 
13           programs; and
 
14      (4)  Be responsible for acquiring and paying for any other
 
15           tags, fees, and wildlife stamps required of all
 
16           licensed hunters in this State."
 
17      SECTION 3.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed.
 
18 New statutory material is underscored.
 
19      SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
 
20 
 
21                              INTRODUCED BY:______________________