By Bosse, Crabb, Zbranek, Telford, et al.              H.B. No. 687
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the application of the fishing license requirement to a
 1-3     person who is at least 65 years of age.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 46.002(a), Parks and Wildlife Code, is
 1-6     amended to read as follows:
 1-7           (a)  A license issued under this chapter is not required of a
 1-8     person:
 1-9                 (1)  who is a resident and whose birth date is before
1-10     September 1, 1930;
1-11                 (2)  who is a resident at least 65 years of age;
1-12                 (3)  who is a nonresident, if the person's birth date
1-13     is before September 1, 1930, and the person's state of residence
1-14     grants a similar age exemption to Texas residents;
1-15                 (4) [(3)]  who is mentally disabled and who is engaging
1-16     in recreational fishing as part of medically approved therapy, and
1-17     who is fishing under the immediate supervision of personnel
1-18     approved or employed by a hospital, residence, or school for
1-19     mentally disabled persons; or
1-20                 (5) [(4)]  who is participating in an event that is
1-21     sponsored or co-sponsored by the Texas Parks and Wildlife
1-22     Department with the approval of the Executive Director.
1-23           SECTION 2.  The Parks and Wildlife Department may not
1-24     implement the change in law made by this Act to Section 46.002(a),
 2-1     Parks and Wildlife Code, unless the 76th Legislature expressly
 2-2     appropriates to the department an amount sufficient to recover the
 2-3     costs of implementing that change.
 2-4           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
 2-5     crowded condition of the calenders in both houses create an
 2-6     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
 2-7     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
 2-8     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
 2-9     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
2-10     passage, and it is so enacted.