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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to a bag limit exemption for certain participants in |
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certain fishing tournaments in Chambers, Jefferson, Galveston, |
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Hardin, Newton, and Orange Counties. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Title 7, Parks and Wildlife Code, is amended by |
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adding Chapter 290 to read as follows: |
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CHAPTER 290. CHAMBERS, JEFFERSON, GALVESTON, HARDIN, NEWTON, AND |
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ORANGE COUNTIES |
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Sec. 290.001. BAG LIMIT EXEMPTIONS FOR CERTAIN FISHING |
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TOURNAMENTS. (a) In this section, "fishing tournament" has the |
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meaning assigned by Section 66.023. |
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(b) This section applies to a fishing tournament held on the |
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southern stretches of the Sabine or Neches River, in the Gulf |
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Intracoastal Waterway, or in the Gulf of Mexico as those bodies of |
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water lie within or are adjacent to the following counties: |
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(1) Chambers County; |
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(2) Jefferson County; |
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(3) Galveston County; |
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(4) Hardin County; |
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(5) Newton County; and |
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(6) Orange County. |
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(c) A participant in a fishing tournament who is part of a |
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team affiliated with a college or high school may count toward the |
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participant's bag limit for largemouth bass a fish that is smaller |
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than the applicable size limit by not more than two inches. |
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(d) A fish counted under this section must be released after |
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weighing. |
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SECTION 2. Chapter 290, Parks and Wildlife Code, as added by |
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this Act, applies only to a fishing tournament held on or after the |
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effective date of this Act. |
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SECTION 3. (a) The legal notice of the intention to |
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introduce this Act, setting forth the general substance of this |
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Act, has been published as provided by law, and the notice and a |
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copy of this Act have been furnished to all persons, agencies, |
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officials, or entities to which they are required to be furnished |
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under Section 59, Article XVI, Texas Constitution, and Chapter 313, |
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Government Code. |
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(b) The governor, one of the required recipients, has |
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submitted the notice and Act to the Texas Commission on |
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Environmental Quality. |
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(c) The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has filed |
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its recommendations relating to this Act with the governor, the |
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lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the house of |
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representatives within the required time. |
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(d) All requirements of the constitution and laws of this |
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state and the rules and procedures of the legislature with respect |
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to the notice, introduction, and passage of this Act are fulfilled |
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and accomplished. |
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SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |