Public Act 098-0118
 
SB0050 EnrolledLRB098 03793 MLW 33809 b

    AN ACT concerning wildlife.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Wildlife Code is amended by changing Section
3.1-4 as follows:
 
    (520 ILCS 5/3.1-4)
    Sec. 3.1-4. Military members returning from mobilization
and service outside the United States.
    (a) After returning from service abroad or mobilization by
the President of the United States as an active duty member of
the United States Armed Forces, the Illinois National Guard, or
the Reserves of the United States Armed Forces, an Illinois
resident may hunt any of the species protected by Section 2.2
of this Code without paying any fees required to obtain a
hunting license for the time period prescribed by subsection
(b) of this Section if the Illinois resident applies for a
license within 2 years after returning from service abroad or
mobilization. The applicant shall provide acceptable
verification of service or mobilization to the Department
either at the Department's office in Springfield or at a
Regional Office of the Department.
    (b) For each year that an applicant is an active duty
member pursuant to subsection (a) of this Section, the
applicant shall receive one free hunting license, one free Deer
Hunting Permit as provided in Section 2.26 of this Code and
rules adopted pursuant to that Section, and one free State
Habitat Stamp. For the purposes of this determination, if the
period of active duty is a portion of a year (for example, one
year and 3 months), the applicant will be credited with a full
year for the portion of a year served.
    (c) (Blank).
    (c-5) An Illinois resident veteran may obtain an Illinois
Hunter Education card if he or she completes the online study
section of the Illinois Hunter Education program and provides
the Department with acceptable verification of service or
mobilization.
    (d) For the purposes of this Section, "acceptable
verification of service or mobilization" means official
documentation from the Department of Defense or the appropriate
Major Command showing mobilization dates or service abroad
dates, including: (i) a DD-214, (ii) a letter from the Illinois
Department of Military Affairs for members of the Illinois
National Guard, (iii) a letter from the Regional Reserve
Command for members of the Armed Forces Reserve, (iv) a letter
from the Major Command covering Illinois for active duty
members, (v) personnel records for mobilized State employees,
and (vi) any other documentation that the Department, by
administrative rule, deems acceptable to establish dates of
mobilization or service abroad.
    (e) For the purposes of this Section, the term "service
abroad" means active duty service outside of the 50 United
States and the District of Columbia, and includes all active
duty service in territories and possessions of the United
States.
(Source: P.A. 96-1014, eff. 1-1-11.)
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.