96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2009 and 2010
HB0998

 

Introduced 2/10/2009, by Rep. Raymond Poe

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
20 ILCS 805/805-305   was 20 ILCS 805/63a23
515 ILCS 5/20-47
520 ILCS 5/3.1-4

    Amends the Department of Natural Resources (Conservation) Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois, the Fish and Aquatic Life Code, and the Wildlife Code to allow a serviceman or servicewoman who is returning from service abroad or mobilization to camp, fish, and hunt in the State without fee for as long as he or she maintains residency in Illinois. Effective immediately.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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1     AN ACT concerning wildlife.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 5. The Department of Natural Resources
5 (Conservation) Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois
6 is amended by changing Section 805-305 as follows:
 
7     (20 ILCS 805/805-305)  (was 20 ILCS 805/63a23)
8     Sec. 805-305. Campsites and housing facilities. The
9 Department has the power to provide facilities for overnight
10 tent and trailer camp sites and to provide suitable housing
11 facilities for student and juvenile overnight camping groups.
12 The Department of Natural Resources may regulate, by
13 administrative order, the fees to be charged for tent and
14 trailer camping units at individual park areas based upon the
15 facilities available. However, for campsites with access to
16 showers or electricity, any Illinois resident who is age 62 or
17 older or has a Class 2 disability as defined in Section 4A of
18 the Illinois Identification Card Act shall be charged only
19 one-half of the camping fee charged to the general public
20 during the period Monday through Thursday of any week and shall
21 be charged the same camping fee as the general public on all
22 other days. For campsites without access to showers or
23 electricity, no camping fee authorized by this Section shall be

 

 

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1 charged to any resident of Illinois who has a Class 2
2 disability as defined in Section 4A of the Illinois
3 Identification Card Act. For campsites without access to
4 showers or electricity, no camping fee authorized by this
5 Section shall be charged to any resident of Illinois who is age
6 62 or older for the use of a camp site unit during the period
7 Monday through Thursday of any week. No camping fee authorized
8 by this Section shall be charged to any resident of Illinois
9 who is a disabled veteran or a former prisoner of war, as
10 defined in Section 5 of the Department of Veterans Affairs Act.
11 No camping fee authorized by this Section shall be charged to
12 any resident of Illinois after returning from service abroad or
13 mobilization by the President of the United States as an active
14 duty member of the United States Armed Forces, the Illinois
15 National Guard, or the Reserves of the United States Armed
16 Forces for as long as he or she maintains Illinois residency
17 the amount of time that the active duty member spent in service
18 abroad or mobilized if the person applies for a pass at the
19 Department office in Springfield after within 2 years of
20 returning and provides verification of service or mobilization
21 to the Department; any portion of a year that the active duty
22 member spent in service abroad or mobilized shall count as a
23 full year. Nonresidents shall be charged the same fees as are
24 authorized for the general public regardless of age. The
25 Department shall provide by regulation for suitable proof of
26 age, or either a valid driver's license or a "Golden Age

 

 

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1 Passport" issued by the federal government shall be acceptable
2 as proof of age. The Department shall further provide by
3 regulation that notice of these reduced admission fees be
4 posted in a conspicuous place and manner.
5     Reduced fees authorized in this Section shall not apply to
6 any charge for utility service.
7 (Source: P.A. 94-313, eff. 7-25-05.)
 
8     Section 10. The Fish and Aquatic Life Code is amended by
9 changing Section 20-47 as follows:
 
10     (515 ILCS 5/20-47)
11     Sec. 20-47. Military members returning from mobilization
12 and service outside the United States.
13     (a) After returning from service abroad or mobilization by
14 the President of the United States as an active duty member of
15 the United States Armed Forces, the Illinois National Guard, or
16 the Reserves of the United States Armed Forces, an Illinois
17 resident may fish as permitted by this Code without paying any
18 fees required to obtain a fishing license for as long as he or
19 she maintains Illinois residency the time period prescribed by
20 subsection (b) of this Section if the Illinois resident applies
21 for a license after within 2 years of returning from service
22 abroad or mobilization. The applicant shall provide
23 verification of service or mobilization to the Department at
24 the Department's office in Springfield.

 

 

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1     (b) (Blank). For each year that an applicant is an active
2 duty member pursuant to subsection (a) of this Section, the
3 applicant shall receive one free fishing license. For the
4 purposes of this determination, if the period of active duty is
5 a portion of a year (for example, one year and 3 months), the
6 applicant will be credited with a full year for the portion of
7 a year served.
8     (c) The Department shall establish what constitutes
9 suitable verification of service or mobilization under
10 subsection (a) of this Section.
11 (Source: P.A. 94-313, eff. 7-25-05.)
 
12     Section 15. The Wildlife Code is amended by changing
13 Section 3.1-4 as follows:
 
14     (520 ILCS 5/3.1-4)
15     Sec. 3.1-4. Military members returning from mobilization
16 and service outside the United States.
17     (a) After returning from service abroad or mobilization by
18 the President of the United States as an active duty member of
19 the United States Armed Forces, the Illinois National Guard, or
20 the Reserves of the United States Armed Forces, an Illinois
21 resident may hunt any of the species protected by Section 2.2
22 of this Code without paying any fees required to obtain a
23 hunting license for as long as he or she maintains Illinois
24 residency the time period prescribed by subsection (b) of this

 

 

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1 Section if the Illinois resident applies for a license after
2 within 2 years of returning from service abroad or
3 mobilization. The applicant shall provide verification of
4 service or mobilization to the Department at the Department's
5 office in Springfield.
6     (b) For each year that an applicant is an active duty
7 member pursuant to subsection (a) of this Section, the
8 applicant shall receive one free hunting license, one free Deer
9 Hunting Permit as provided in Section 2.26 of this Code and
10 rules adopted pursuant to that Section, and one free State
11 Habitat Stamp. For the purposes of this determination, if the
12 period of active duty is a portion of a year (for example, one
13 year and 3 months), the applicant will be credited with a full
14 year for the portion of a year served.
15     (c) The Department shall establish what constitutes
16 suitable verification of service or mobilization under
17 subsection (a) of this Section.
18 (Source: P.A. 94-313, eff. 7-25-05.)
 
19     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
20 becoming law.