Honorable Ryan Guillen, Chair, House Committee on Culture, Recreation & Tourism
FROM:
John S O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB1080 by Gallego ( Relating to an exemption for active duty personnel and certain veterans from the requirement to complete the live firing portion of a hunter education program.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would amend portions of the Parks and Wildlife Code to exempt honorably discharged veterans of the US armed forces, or active duty US armed forces or members of the Texas Army National Guard, Texas Air National Guard, or Texas State Guard from completing the live firing portion of a hunter education course. TPWD reports it offers two ways to complete hunter education, traditional and on-line. The traditional course ($15) includes a classroom component and a field component. The field component includes curriculum such as game laws, skills training, live fire, and a certification test. The on-line course is free (designed to supplement the classroom instruction) but the individual must still take the field component (at $15) and pass the certification test. For each option, TPWD retains $5 per student to the credit of the General Revenue-Dedicated Game, Fish and Water Safety Account No. 9, with the instructor keeping the remainder. While this bill would exempt an active duty military or veteran from participating in the live fire exercise; they would still be required to participate in all other components of hunter education (classroom/on-line, game laws, skills training, et. al.), pass the certification test and pay $15. Accordingly, no fiscal impact on revenue to the Game, Fish and Water Safety Account or fiscal implication to the state is anticipated. The bill would take immediate effect if the bill receives two-thirds the vote of all members in both houses. Otherwise, the bill would take effect September 1, 2011.
Local Government Impact
No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.