MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

2000 Regular Session

To: Wildlife and Fisheries

By: Senator(s) Posey

AN ACT TO BRING FORWARD SECTION 49-7-153, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REVIEW THE CATEGORIES OF LIFETIME LICENSES FOR POSSIBLE ELIMINATION; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. Section 49-7-153, Mississippi Code of 1972, is brought forward as follows:

49-7-153. (1) Any resident may purchase a lifetime sportsman license by filing an application in the office of the department. The license shall qualify the licensee to take all fish, game and fowl, except waterfowl, including deer and turkey, in the manner provided by law. The license shall also permit the licensee to hunt with primitive weapons and bow and arrow, and to take crabs, oysters, shrimp and any other saltwater fish authorized to be taken under a recreational permit. Any resident may purchase a lifetime fishing license by filing an application in the office of the department. The lifetime fishing license shall entitle the licensee to fish in the public waters of the state, including the taking of crabs, oysters, shrimp and any saltwater fish authorized to be taken under a recreational permit.

(2) The department may issue a lifetime sportsman license at a fee to be determined by the commission at an amount not less than Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) for a person over twelve (12) years of age; not less than Three Hundred Dollars ($300.00) for a person between the ages of two (2) years and twelve (12) years inclusive; and not less than Two Hundred Dollars ($200.00) for a person under two (2) years of age. The department may issue a golden lifetime sportsman license at a fee to be determined by the commission, in an amount not less than One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00). The categories for lifetime fishing licenses shall be the same as the categories for lifetime sportsman licenses. The fee for each category of lifetime fishing licenses shall be one-half (1/2) of the fee for the comparable category of sportsman licenses. The difference in the fee charged for the golden lifetime license and the fee for a lifetime license shall be considered a donation to the Wildlife Endowment Fund. All lifetime licenses shall be issued from the office of the department. Each application for a lifetime license must be accompanied by a certified copy of the birth certificate of the individual to be named as the license holder, if the individual is twelve (12) years of age or under.

(3) The commission shall establish proof of residency requirements for the purchase of a lifetime license, and shall also establish such restrictions on and regulations for lifetime licenses as it deems necessary and proper. An applicant for a resident lifetime license must have been domiciled in this state for eighteen (18) consecutive months immediately preceding the date of his application for a license. The burden of proving domicile shall be on the applicant.

(4) (a) The department may issue a nonresident lifetime sportsman license for a fee which shall be established by the commission. The fee for such license shall not be less than Three Thousand Dollars ($3,000.00).

(b) The department may issue a native son or daughter nonresident lifetime sportsman license. The fee shall be One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00). The applicant must provide a certified copy of the original birth certificate showing that the applicant was born in Mississippi and/or if the parents' address was in Mississippi at the time of birth as shown on the birth certificate.

(5) Any materially false statement contained in an application for a lifetime license renders void the license issued pursuant to that application, and subjects the applicant to criminal prosecution under Section 49-7-45.

(6) Nothing in this section exempts an applicant for a lifetime license from meeting other qualifications or requirements otherwise established by law for the privilege of hunting or fishing.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2000.