84R22045 SLB-D
 
  By: Phelan H.B. No. 1979
 
  Substitute the following for H.B. No. 1979:
 
  By:  Larson C.S.H.B. No. 1979
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to a bag limit exemption for certain participants in
  certain fishing tournaments in Chambers, Jefferson, Galveston,
  Hardin, Newton, and Orange Counties; authorizing a fee.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Title 7, Parks and Wildlife Code, is amended by
  adding Chapter 290 to read as follows:
  CHAPTER 290. CHAMBERS, JEFFERSON, GALVESTON, HARDIN, NEWTON, AND
  ORANGE COUNTIES
         Sec. 290.001.  BAG LIMIT EXEMPTIONS FOR CERTAIN FISHING
  TOURNAMENTS. (a)  In this section, "fishing tournament" has the
  meaning assigned by Section 66.023.
         (b)  This section applies only to a fishing tournament that:
               (1)  is held on the southern stretches of the Sabine or
  Neches River, in the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, or in the Gulf of
  Mexico as those bodies of water lie within or are adjacent to the
  following counties:
                     (A)  Chambers County;
                     (B)  Jefferson County; 
                     (C)  Galveston County;
                     (D)  Hardin County;
                     (E)  Newton County; and
                     (F)  Orange County; and
               (2)  has as its participants only competitors who
  attend high school or college.
         (c)  The department shall grant a permit for a bag limit
  exemption under this section to a fishing tournament if the
  organizer of the fishing tournament submits to the department:
               (1)  a complete application on a form supplied by the
  department; and
               (2)  a fee in the amount of $500.
         (d)  A permit issued under Subsection (c) must state the
  terms of the exemption and the dates for which the exemption is
  valid. The organizer of the tournament shall distribute a copy of
  the permit to all participants.
         (e)  A permit issued under this section shall allow a
  participant in a fishing tournament to count toward the
  participant's bag limit for largemouth bass a fish that is smaller
  than the applicable minimum size limit by not more than two inches
  if, at the time the fish are inspected for the purpose of
  determining compliance with the bag limit, the participant has in
  the participant's possession a copy of the permit. 
         (f)  A fish counted under this section must be released after
  weighing.
         (g)  The commission shall adopt rules to implement this
  section.
         (h)  The department shall deposit money received for the
  purchase of a permit under Subsection (c) to the credit of the game,
  fish, and water safety account.
         SECTION 2.  Chapter 290, Parks and Wildlife Code, as added by
  this Act, applies only to a fishing tournament held on or after the
  effective date of this Act.
         SECTION 3.  (a)  The legal notice of the intention to
  introduce this Act, setting forth the general substance of this
  Act, has been published as provided by law, and the notice and a
  copy of this Act have been furnished to all persons, agencies,
  officials, or entities to which they are required to be furnished
  under Section 59, Article XVI, Texas Constitution, and Chapter 313,
  Government Code.
         (b)  The governor, one of the required recipients, has
  submitted the notice and Act to the Texas Commission on
  Environmental Quality.
         (c)  The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has filed
  its recommendations relating to this Act with the governor, the
  lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the house of
  representatives within the required time.
         (d)  All requirements of the constitution and laws of this
  state and the rules and procedures of the legislature with respect
  to the notice, introduction, and passage of this Act are fulfilled
  and accomplished.
         SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
  a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
  provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
  Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
  Act takes effect September 1, 2015.