House of
Representatives
HB 2072
sale of big game tags
Sponsor: Representative Weiers JP
Overview
HB 2072 requires the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) to reserve certain big game hunt tags for a qualified 501 (c) (3) organization (organization) to resell through auction and raffle at an annual Arizona sportsmen exposition and annual chapter banquets.
History
The Arizona Game and Fish Commission (Commission) is composed of five members appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. Title 17, Section 231, Arizona Revised Statutes, authorizes the Commission to establish policies, rules and regulations to manage, preserve, protect and harvest wildlife. The Commission appoints the Director of the AZGFD, and the Director serves as secretary to the Commission. In support of the Commission's obligations, the Director, as chief administrative officer, provides general supervision and control of all AZGFD functions and activities.
To hunt big game wildlife in Arizona, everyone must have a valid license plus any necessary permit-tags, nonpermit-tags or stamps, which must be in the hunter’s possession. An Arizona hunting license is available for purchase from any Arizona Game and Fish office and from more than 300 license dealers statewide. A current hunting license is required to apply in the draw.
The draw is a lottery-style process for allocating the limited number of Arizona big game and other limited species hunt permit-tags to applicants. Usually AZGFD receives far more applications than available permits. The number of permits available per species is determined and adjusted annually from the results of science-based studies, surveys, and management goals for maintaining healthy, sustainable wildlife populations and habitats.
AZGFD conducts three separate application and draw cycles for big game hunt permit tags. Beginning in 2007, the Department for the first time held a separate draw for antelope and elk. This change was made to let hunters know earlier if they have been drawn for these two popular big game animals. The three draw cycles are:
|
Species |
Draw Deadline |
|
Pronghorn antelope, elk |
Second Tuesday in February (pending Commission approval) |
|
Deer, fall turkey, fall javelina, bighorn sheep fall buffalo, pheasant |
Second Tuesday in June (pending Commission approval) |
|
Spring javelina, spring bear, spring turkey, spring buffalo |
Second Tuesday in October (pending Commission approval) |
For more information: (http://www.azgfd.gov)
Provisions
Contract between AZGFD and the Qualified
Organization
· Establishes terms and conditions for the contract consistent with the provisions of the bill.
· Within 30 days after enactment of the bill, directs AZGFD to contract with the organization that meets the stated requirements and makes a nonrefundable one-time fee of $10,000 for administration and implementation of the program and an advance deposit of $25,000 toward the first bulk sale of tags. The deposit is a credit toward the total amount due for resident fees for all sales of tags.
· Requires the resale rights for the tags to be complete by September 1 each year, beginning in the year 2013. The original contract date for the first bulk sale cannot be later that October 1, 2012 unless the parties mutually agree to a later date.
· Asserts that the rights to tags may be resold by auction or raffle. Individuals must present to the organization a valid Arizona hunting or combination license.
· Directs AZGFD to issue the reserved tags to the individuals designated by the organization as having purchased the right to a specific tag, subject to the outlined conditions.
· Outlines procedures when a nonresident purchases a tag at the auction or raffle.
· Permits an individual to transfer a purchased tag only as allowed by AZGFD rule.
Game Tags
· Designates tag names, amounts, big game species, season and valid dates of hunts.
· Limits tags by raffle to one tag per species per year as noted.
· States that big game taken under these special tags do not count toward normal bag limits and specifically prohibits AZGFD from restricting an individual's future participation in annual draws for tags.
· Restricts AZGFD from reserving Legislator and Sportsmen tags for hunts exclusively for C.H.A.M.P.S., ham or junior hunts as designated by AZGFD or those solely for bonus points.
· Classifies the tags as Governor Tags, Legislator Tags and Sportsmen Tags.
Ř Governor Tags
Reserved for resale by auction, valid for any hunt area with any legal weapon 365 days beginning August 15 each year. Two tags for each species include: elk, mule deer, whitetail deer, bison (buffalo) and bear. One tag for each species include: desert bighorn sheep, rocky mountain bighorn sheep, antelope, merriam's turkey, rio grande turkey and gould's turkey. (16 total tags)
Ř Legislator Tags
Reserved for resale by auction, valid for any open season for species using any legal weapon and apply to all hunt areas: At least 10 tags and at least 1 tag for each hunt area for bull elk in hunt areas that offer all of the following 3 types of hunts: early archery; early muzzleloader or early rifle, and late bull elk hunts. One tag for whitetail deer for each hunt area that offers late hunts. One tag for mule deer for each hunt area that offers a general hunt season and is located north of the Colorado river. Two tags for antelope valid for all hunt numbers as the Commission specifies in any of regions 1, 2, 3 and 5 in existence on January 1, 2012, except that both tags cannot be from the same region.
Ř Sportsmen Tags
Reserved for resale by raffle, valid for a specific hunt number, area and time period. Gives the Commission certain authority for specifying hunt areas and numbers. One tag for each hunt number for mule deer and whitetail deer; at least 21 tags for early bull elk hunts; 10 tags for late bull elk hunts; 2 antelope tags; 14 spring merriam's turkey tags; 25 javelina tags; 50 antlerless elk tags.
Distribution of Proceeds by Qualified Organization
· Applies the proceeds from the resale of tags to cover all costs associated with the annual Arizona sportsmen exposition and county chapter banquets.
· Directs remaining monies to programs and costs of administration to achieve these purposes:
Ř Youth sportsmen education and outdoor programs.
Ř Access for sportsmen to cross private lands onto public lands.
Ř Sustain, enhance and increase habitat and big game species.
Ř Facilitate education and communication programs relative to sportmen and wildlife.
Ř Protect sportsmen's heritage and conduct activities to promote the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation.
Reports and Rules
· Beginning in 2014, requires the organization to file with AZGFD, a report that specifies for the preceding year the amount of proceeds from the auction/raffle sales, costs of exposition and banquets, monies paid for the outlined purposes and administration of the program.
· Within 30 days after the effective date of the act, directs the Commission to adopt relevant rules necessary to contract with the organization for the hunt season beginning July 1, 2013 for Legislator and Sportmen tags and August 15, 2013 for Governor tags.
· Exempts the Commission from the rule making process for six months after the effective date of this act.
Definitions
· Defines relevant terms, including tag, early bull elk hunts, hunt area, hunt number, late bull elk hunts, late whitetail deer hunts.
· Defines qualified organization as follows:
Ř Has been in existence a minimum of five years.
Ř Meets the federal I.R.S. code requirements for a 501 (c) (3) organization.
Ř Includes a significant statewide membership that is a cross-section of species specific wildlife conservation and sportsmen organizations.
Ř Is not a member or chapter of a national wildlife conservation or sportsmen organization.
Emergency Clause
· Contains an Emergency Clause.
---------- DOCUMENT FOOTER ---------
Fiftieth Legislature
Second Regular Session 2 January 9, 2012
---------- DOCUMENT FOOTER ---------