H. B. 4030


(By Delegate Modesitt)
[Introduced January 13, 2000; referred to the
Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources then Finance.]




A BILL to amend article two, chapter twenty of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated section forty-six-n, relating to providing a hunting license that allows residents who are disabled or sixty-two or older to hunt with a crossbow.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That article two, chapter twenty of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new section, designated section forty-six-n, to read as follows:
ARTICLE 2. WILDLIFE RESOURCES.
§20-2-46n. Class QQ special resident crossbow hunting permit for disabled residents or residents sixty-two or older.

(a) On or after the first day of January, two thousand one, the director may issue a Class QQ permit. It is a special statewide hunting permit and entitles the permittee to hunt all legal wildlife as determined by the director during the designated season. A Class QQ permit shall be issued by the director to any applicant who holds a Class A or AB resident statewide hunting license, unless exempt from licensing requirements under section twenty-seven of this article, and who meets the following requirements:
(1) He or she is a resident of this state at least sixty-two years of age; or
(2) He or she is a resident of this state and has a disabling condition due to one of the following:
(A) An amputation or other loss of one or both arms above the wrist;
(B) A permanent and substantial loss of the index or middle finger on the draw and release hand;
(C) A permanent and substantial loss of function in one or both hands while failing to meet minimum standards of the upper extremity pinch, grip and nine-hole peg tests administered under the direction of a licensed physician; or
(D) A permanent and substantial loss of function in one or both shoulders while failing to meet the minimum standards of the standards shoulder strength tests, administered under the direction of a licensed physician.
(b) The application shall include a written statement or report prepared by a licensed physician, prepared no more than six months preceding the application that verifies that the applicant is physically disabled. As part of the application, the applicant shall authorize, by written release, an examination of all medical records regarding the disability of the applicant.
(c) A Class QQ permit entitles the holder to hunt all legal wildlife as determined by the director during the designated hunting season, but only with a crossbow meeting all of the following specifications:
(1) The crossbow has a minimum draw weight of one hundred twenty-five pounds;
(2) The crossbow has a working safety; and
(3) The crossbow is used with bolts and arrows of not less than eighteen inches in length with a broad head.
(d) The director is authorized to charge a reasonable fee for the issuance of a Class QQ special permit if the director considers it necessary and appropriate.


NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to provide a Class QQ special resident hunting permit which will allow residents who are disabled and residents 62 and older to hunt with a crossbow.

This section is new; therefore, strike-throughs and underscoring have been omitted.