Committee hears bill to restore senior and youth lifetime hunting-and-fishing passes; hearing closed with follow-up planned

The Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on House Bill 2028, which would restore a resident senior combination hunting-and-fishing pass and remove the sunset on a youth lifetime combination hunting-and-fishing license.

Reviser Lawrence told the committee the bill would revive and amend “KSA 30 two-nine-one hundred,” a statute first enacted in January 2013 that the reviser said expired on June 30, 2020. Section 1 would require the Department of Wildlife and Parks to offer a resident senior combination hunting and fishing pass to residents age 65 or older, and section 2 would remove the expiration date on the existing children’s lifetime combination license for residents 7 years of age or younger. Lawrence said the bill would take effect upon publication in the Kansas Register and that House passage was 111–11.

Representative Ken Corbett, the bill’s proponent, told the committee the senior program had expired without broad notice and that removing the sunset language would prevent similar lapses. Corbett said the youth program “started in, maybe October 22, and they they're up to almost 7,000 and the, seniors about 55,000.” He said the cost structure for the licenses would remain unchanged by the bill.

Committee members questioned several operational and fiscal points. Senator Shane asked whether seniors already were exempt from annual hunting-license purchases; Reviser Lawrence clarified statutory ages and fee differences. Senator Francisco and others flagged prior legislative discussions about whether fee levels would adequately cover Department of Wildlife and Parks costs; committee members agreed department testimony would be useful, and the committee packet included neutral written testimony from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. The committee chair said it was the chair’s intent to work the bill at the next committee meeting and that members should be prepared.

Actions

- motion: "Hearing on House Bill 2028"; mover: Reviser Lawrence (overview); outcome: no formal committee disposition; notes: hearing closed; bill scheduled to be worked at a subsequent meeting.

Speakers

[{"name":"Reviser Lawrence","role_title":"Statutory reviser","affiliation_type":"government"},{"name":"Representative Ken Corbett","role_title":"State representative","affiliation_type":"government"},{"name":"Senator Shane","role_title":"Senator","affiliation_type":"government"},{"name":"Senator Francisco","role_title":"Senator","affiliation_type":"government"},{"name":"Senator Blue","role_title":"Senator","affiliation_type":"government"},{"name":"Senator Fagg","role_title":"Senator","affiliation_type":"government"}]

Authorities

[{"type":"statute","name":"KSA 30 two-nine-one hundred","citation":"referenced by reviser","referenced_by":["HB2028"]},{"type":"policy","name":"Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks licensing schedules","citation":"not specified","referenced_by":["HB2028"]}]

Clarifying_details

[{"category":"youth license counts","detail":"Youth lifetime license sales began in October 2022 and have reached almost 7,000" ,"source_speaker":"Representative Ken Corbett"},{"category":"senior license counts","detail":"Approximately 55,000 senior lifetime combo licenses in force","source_speaker":"Representative Ken Corbett"},{"category":"youth age eligibility","detail":"Youth lifetime combination license eligibility: residents 7 years of age or younger","source_speaker":"Reviser Lawrence"},{"category":"youth fee tiers","detail":"0–5 years: $300; ages 6–7: $500; adult combo lifetime about $900–$1,000 (figures given by Representative Corbett)" ,"source_speaker":"Representative Ken Corbett"}]

Proper_names

[{"name":"Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks","type":"agency"},{"name":"Representative Ken Corbett","type":"person"},{"name":"House Bill 2028","type":"other"},{"name":"Agriculture and Natural Resources","type":"other"}]

Community_relevance

{"geographies":["Kansas"],"funding_sources":[],"impact_groups":["seniors (65+)","children age 7 and younger","hunters and anglers"]}

Provenance

[{"block_id":"seg-981-1010","local_start":0,"local_end":160,"evidence_excerpt":"House Bill 20 28 relates to a combination hunting and fishing passes and licenses for certain populations. So first section 1 would revive and amend KSA 30 two-nine-one hundred...","reason_code":"topicintro"},{"block_id":"seg-1209-1245","local_start":0,"local_end":120,"evidence_excerpt":"Good morning colleagues... The youth license started in, maybe October 22, and they they're up to almost 7,000 and the, seniors about 55,000.","reason_code":"topicfinish"}]