HB1117 - Relating to an exemption to the fishing license requirement for certain residents engaged in fishing in public waters.

  89R3318 BEE-D     By: VanDeaver H.B. No. 1117       A BILL TO BE ENTITLED   AN ACT   relating to an exemption to the fishing license requirement for   certain residents engaged in fishing in public waters.          BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:          SECTION 1.  Section 46.002(a), Parks and Wildlife Code, is   amended to read as follows:          (a)  A license issued under this chapter is not required of a   person:                (1)  who is a resident and whose birth date is before   January 1, 1931;                (2)  who is a nonresident, if the person's birth date is   before September 1, 1930, and the person's state of residence   grants a similar age exemption to Texas residents;                (3)  with a mental illness or developmental or   intellectual disability who is engaged in recreational fishing as   part of medically approved therapy under the immediate supervision   of personnel approved or employed by a hospital, residence, or   school for persons with mental illnesses or developmental or   intellectual disabilities;                (4)  with a mental illness or developmental or   intellectual disability who is engaged in recreational fishing   under the immediate supervision of a person who:                      (A)  holds a license issued under this chapter;   and                      (B)  if not a member of the family of the person   with a mental illness or developmental or intellectual disability,   has the permission of the family head or legal guardian of the   person with a mental illness or developmental or intellectual   disability to take the person with a mental illness or   developmental or intellectual disability fishing;                (5)  who is participating in an event that is sponsored   or co-sponsored by the department with the approval of the   director; [ or ]                (6)  who is a resident and who is a veteran of the   United States armed forces, if the person is acting under Section   11.208 and complying with rules adopted under that section ; or                 (7)     who is a resident 70 years of age or older and who   is engaged in fishing in the public water of this state .          SECTION 2.  The Parks and Wildlife Department is not   required to issue a refund to a person described by Section   46.002(a)(7), Parks and Wildlife Code, as added by this Act, for a   fishing license, stamp, or package issued to the person before the   effective date of this Act.          SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.