WEST virginia legislature

2019 regular session

Introduced

House Bill 3059

By Delegates Campbell, Higginbotham, Canestraro, Lovejoy, Lavender-Bowe, Harshbarger, Pack, Wilson, Worrell, Angelucci and Diserio

[Introduced February 12, 2019; Referred
to the Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources then Finance.]

A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated §20-2-65, relating to buck deer rifle hunting season; starting season two days earlier and requiring purchase of stamp.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

ARTICLE 2. WILDLIFE RESOURCES.

§20-2-65. Permitting earlier start of buck deer hunting season; stamp purchase required.

(a) Beginning with the 2019 – 2020 buck deer hunting season, notwithstanding other provisions of Chapter 20 of this code, a person who wishes to begin hunting two days earlier than the Monday on which the buck deer hunting seasons are customarily opened, may do so if they purchase either a resident stamp for $20 or a nonresident stamp for $30 and abide by other relevant requirements of the Division of Natural Resources.

(b) The money received from sale of the stamps shall be divided with 20 percent of the funds distributed to each of the following:  Department of Natural Resources Division of Law Enforcement, West Virginia State Parks, West Virginia Department of Veteran’s Assistance, Public Employees Retirement System. and the state’s wildlife management areas program.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to permit persons to begin hunting buck deer two days earlier than the regularly scheduled hunting season with purchase of special stamps. Money from the purchase of stamps would be distributed among various state agencies or programs.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.