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BILL # SB 1040 |
TITLE: |
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SPONSOR: Rogers |
STATUS: Senate Engrossed |
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PREPARED BY: Micaela Larkin |
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The bill amends statute that allows the Game and Fish commission to provide a discounted license fee for resident veterans with a service-related disability rating to reduce fees up to 25% for a resident veteran with a service-related disability of under 100%. The bill also permits the Commission to offer resident Purple Heart medal recipients a license at 50% less than the cost of a regular license.
Estimated Impact
The impact of the bill will depend on the cost of a regular license and how the Game and Fish Commission implements fee reductions permitted by the bill. Limiting the reduction in fees to 25% to veteran residents with disability ratings of less than 100% would slightly increase revenues from the hunting and fishing combination license. The Commission would retain the ability to implement fee reductions on its other licenses that currently have no fee reductions. The provision providing 50% reductions for resident Purple Heart recipients would reduce revenues. The overall impact of the bill depends on how many veterans would utilize the discounts. Based on current low utilization of reduced fee licenses by veteran residents with disability ratings of less than 100%, we expect the overall impact to be minimal.
We have not yet received the Game and Fish Department fiscal estimate of the Senate Engrossed bill.
Currently, statute provides a lifetime no-cost license for a resident veteran with a service-related disability rating of 100% and for the Game and Fish Commission to set a reduction for veterans with a rating under 100%. For those veterans with a rating under 100%, they currently set a discounted license at $42.00, or 26.3% less than the $57 regular combination license for hunting or fishing. For the fee to align with this amendment's cap at 25%, the discounted fee could be no lower than $42.75, or an additional $0.75 per license.
The bill permits Purple Heart recipients in Arizona to purchase a license for 50% of the regular cost. Purple Heart recipients with 100% disability ratings can receive a complimentary license under current law, so this provision effectively provides the 50% discount to Purple Heart recipients with less than a 100% disability rating or no disability rating. These Purple Heart recipients are assumed to currently qualify for the $42.00 discounted license and so would now be eligible for a $28.50 license (50% of $57), or a decrease of $(13.50) per license.
The overall impact of the bill would depend on how many disabled resident veterans with a less than 100% service-related disability rating have a discounted license and how many Purple Heart veterans apply that do not have the lifetime complimentary license. Game & Fish reports that it has issued 33 reduced fee licenses since July 2021, so the change in fees for this population would be minimal and would be offset by a decrease in fees for any Purple Heart residents who don't currently qualify for the lifetime complimentary license.
Local Government Impact
None
2/24/22