1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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2 1st Session of the 59th Legislature (2023)
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3 SENATE BILL 941 By: Bullard
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6 AS INTRODUCED
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7 An Act relating to fish and wildlife; amending 29
7 O.S. 2021, Section 3-103, which relates to function,
8 powers, and duties of the Oklahoma Wildlife
8 Conservation Commission; requiring a report to be
9 submitted to the Legislature regarding changes in
9 license fees; amending 29 O.S. 2021, Section 4-110,
10 which relates to fishing licenses; increasing age
10 threshold for licenses; increasing fees; removing
11 certain deposits of fees into certain fund; amending
11 29 O.S. 2021, Section 4-112, as last amended by
12 Section 2, Chapter 208, O.S.L. 2022 (29 O.S. Supp.
12 2022, Section 4-112), which relates to hunting
13 license; increasing age threshold for license;
13 increasing fees; removing certain deposits of fees
14 into certain fund; eliminating certain licenses;
14 amending 29 O.S. 2021, Section 4-112A, which relates
15 to certificate of competency; increasing age
15 threshold for certificate; amending 29 O.S. 2021,
16 Section 4-113, as amended by Section 3, Chapter 208,
16 O.S.L. 2022 (29 O.S. Supp. 2022, Section 4-113),
17 which relates to hunting/fishing annual combination
17 licenses; increasing age threshold for license;
18 increasing fee; removing certain deposit of fee into
18 certain fund; amending 29 O.S. 2021, Section 4-113.1,
19 which relates to five-year licenses; decreasing time
19 period of licenses; increasing fees; removing certain
20 deposits of fee into certain fund; amending 29 O.S.
20 2021, Section 4-114, which relates to lifetime
21 license; increasing fees; removing certain deposits
21 of fee into certain fund; removing delayed payment of
22 fee for license; amending 29 O.S. 2021, Section 4-
22 130, which relates to waterfowl hunting stamp;
23 increasing age threshold for stamp; removing certain
23 deposit of fee into certain fund; increasing fees;
24 amending 29 O.S. 2021, Section 4-138, which relates
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Req. No. 1008 Page 1
 1 to the Wildlife Conservation Passport; requiring
1 passport for land managed by the Commission;
2 increasing age threshold for exemption; amending 29
2 O.S. 2021, Section 4-140, which relates to wildlife
3 land stamp; increasing age threshold for exemption;
3 repealing 29 O.S. 2021, Section 4-112, as last
4 amended by Section 1, Chapter 347, O.S.L. 2022 (29
4 O.S. Supp. 2022, Section 4-112), which relates to
5 hunting license; providing an effective date; and
5 declaring an emergency.
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8 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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9 SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 29 O.S. 2021, Section 3-103, is
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10 amended to read as follows:
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11 Section 3-103. A. The Wildlife Conservation Commission shall
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12 constitute an advisory, administrative and policymaking board for
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13 the protection, restoration, perpetuation, conservation,
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14 supervision, maintenance, enhancement, and management of wildlife in
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15 this state as provided in the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Code.
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16 B. The Director shall consult with the Commission regarding the
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17 administration of the affairs of the Department of Wildlife
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18 Conservation. The Commission is authorized and empowered to require
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19 from the Director complete reports and information relative to the
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20 affairs of the Department at the time and in the manner the
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21 Commission may deem advisable.
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22 C. The Commission shall meet in regular session at least nine
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23 times per year not to exceed one meeting per month with not more
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24 than two consecutive calendar months between meetings and in special
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Req. No. 1008 Page 2
 1 sessions as may be called by the Chair or a majority of the
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2 Commission. The Commission may hold any regular or special session
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3 at any location within this state. Should a location be chosen
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4 other than Commission headquarters in Oklahoma City for a regular or
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5 special meeting, notice shall be posted at Commission headquarters
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6 in Oklahoma City and advertised in the local newspaper of the city
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7 in which the meeting is to be held, at least one time during each of
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8 the two (2) weeks prior to the meeting. The advertisements shall
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9 include time, date, and address of location of the meeting.
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10 D. In addition to the other powers and duties prescribed by
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11 law, the Commission shall:
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12 1. Institute an affirmative action plan for hiring women and
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13 minorities throughout the agency;
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14 2. Elect a chair, vice-chair, and secretary, who shall perform
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15 the duties required of them by statutes, rules of the Commission,
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16 and the Constitution of the State of Oklahoma. The chair, vice-
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17 chair, and secretary shall receive no extra compensation;
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18 3. Appoint a Director, and determine the qualifications of the
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19 Director and all assistants and employees. A Commissioner shall not
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20 be eligible for employment in any position within the Department;
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21 4. Prescribe rules and policies for the transaction of its
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22 business and the control of the Department;
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 1 5. Develop and implement a plan to provide step raises for
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2 Commission employees so that discrepancies of pay levels within a
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3 pay grade are eliminated;
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4 6. Acquire by purchase, lease, gift, or devise, waters, real
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5 property, and personal property incident to the exercise of its
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6 functions and to maintain, operate, and dispose of the same;
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7 7. Acquire real property by condemnation only when the Attorney
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8 General or other counsel deems it an appropriate means of clearing
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9 title from willing or unavailable sellers;
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10 8. Supervise the establishment, extension, improvement, and
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11 operation of the wildlife refuges, propagation areas or stations,
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12 public hunting areas, public fishing areas, game management areas,
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13 and fish hatcheries;
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14 9. Prescribe the manner of cooperation with the Oklahoma
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15 Tourism and Recreation Department, colleges and universities within
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16 the state, other state agencies, any agency of the federal
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17 government, and any city, town, school district, or any other agency
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18 or organization in study of conservation and propagation of wildlife
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19 and in the establishment, maintenance, and operation of visual
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20 educational facilities, recreational facilities, and hunting and
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21 fishing facilities, in the study and propagation of wildlife;
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22 10. Supervise the letting of all contracts and purchases for
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23 the Department, with all purchases of personal property to be made
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24 through the Office of Management and Enterprise Services;
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 1 11. Authorize all claims or expenditures prior to incurring
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2 payment except as otherwise provided in this Code;
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3 12. Prescribe rules on the use of Department-owned vehicles by
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4 the Director, department heads and other essential employees as the
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5 Commission deems necessary in order to perform their duties;
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6 13. Prescribe rules for the sale of all regular or special
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7 licenses;
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8 14. Publicize and encourage the conservation and appreciation
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9 of wildlife and all other natural resources;
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10 15. Regulate the seasons and harvest of wildlife;
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11 16. Promulgate rules to sell fishing and hunting licenses via
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12 the Internet;
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13 17. Annually report to the Governor and the Legislature on the
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14 complete operation, activities, and plans of the Department,
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15 together with such recommendations for future activities as the
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16 Commission may deem to be in the best interest of the state; and
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17 18. Provide the Governor and the Legislature with an annual
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18 inventory of all property and equipment.
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19 E. Five (5) years after the effective date of this act, and
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20 every five (5) years thereafter, the Commission shall prepare a
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21 report for the Legislature with proposed licensing fees based on the
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22 latest Consumer Price Index year-to-date percent change release as
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23 of the date of the annual average county wage data release from the
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 1 Bureau of Economic Analysis of the U.S. Department of Commerce for
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2 Legislature approval or rejection.
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3 SECTION 2. AMENDATORY 29 O.S. 2021, Section 4-110, is
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4 amended to read as follows:
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5 Section 4-110. A. Except as otherwise provided in the Oklahoma
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6 Wildlife Conservation Code, no person shall fish, pursue, harass,
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7 catch, kill, take in any manner, use, have in possession, sell, or
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8 transport all or any portion of fish without having first procured a
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9 license for such from the Director or from any of the authorized
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10 agents of the Department of Wildlife Conservation. The Wildlife
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11 Conservation Commission may designate two (2) days per year in which
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12 residents and nonresidents may fish without first procuring a
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13 fishing license pursuant to the provisions of this section.
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14 B. The following legal residents of Oklahoma and the following
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15 nonresidents shall be exempt from the annual fishing license
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16 requirements of subsection C of this section and the following
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17 nonresidents shall be exempt from the annual nonresident fishing
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18 licenses required pursuant to subsection E of this section:
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19 1. Legal residents under sixteen (16) eighteen (18) years of
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20 age and nonresidents under sixteen (16) eighteen (18) years of age
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21 from states which do not require nonresident fishing licenses for
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22 persons under sixteen (16) eighteen (18) years of age;
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23 2. Legal residents sixty-five (65) years of age or older and
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24 nonresidents sixty-five (65) years of age or older from states which
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Req. No. 1008 Page 6
 1 do not require nonresident fishing licenses for persons sixty-five
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2 (65) years of age or older, provided a legal resident has obtained a
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3 senior citizen lifetime fishing or combination hunting and fishing
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4 license pursuant to the provisions of Section 4-114 of this title;
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5 3. Legal residents born on or before January 1, 1923;
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6 4. Legal resident veterans having a disability of sixty percent
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7 (60%) or more and registered with the veterans registry created by
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8 the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs; provided, that if the
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9 veteran has previously received an exemption pursuant to this
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10 paragraph, no registration with the veterans registry shall be
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11 required. The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission shall
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12 promulgate any rules necessary to implement the provisions of this
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13 paragraph;
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14 5. Legal resident owners or tenants, their spouses, parents,
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15 grandparents, children and their spouses, grandchildren and their
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16 spouses who fish in private ponds on land owned or leased by them;
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17 6. Any legal resident or nonresident who is a patient of an
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18 institution of the State of Oklahoma established for the care and
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19 treatment of mental illness or alcohol or drug dependency or any
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20 developmentally disabled person residing in any group home or other
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21 institution or developmentally disabled persons when accompanied by
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22 an attendant of the institution or legal guardian of the patient, or
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23 when fishing on institutional property;
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 1 7. Any legal resident or nonresident under eighteen (18) years
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2 of age who is in the legal and physical custody of the State of
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3 Oklahoma or one of its agencies by court order;
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4 8. Any legal resident or nonresident under eighteen (18) years
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5 of age who is in the physical custody of a child care facility as
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6 defined by Section 402 of Title 10 of the Oklahoma Statutes;
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7 9. Any legal resident or nonresident who is legally blind or
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8 who has any other physical impairment, as certified by a physician
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9 licensed in this state or any state which borders this state, which
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10 prevents the person from properly using fishing apparatus without
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11 the assistance of another person, and any one person actually
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12 accompanying and actually assisting such legally blind or otherwise
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13 physically impaired person while the latter is fishing. This
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14 certification shall be carried by the individual while fishing;
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15 10. Nonresidents under fourteen (14) years of age;
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16 11. Any legal resident or nonresident who is a Job Corps
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17 trainee of this state, provided that the trainees shall have on
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18 their persons a duly authorized identification card issued by their
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19 respective Job Corps Center and shall present the card upon request,
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20 in lieu of a fishing license. The trainees shall return their cards
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21 to their respective Job Corps Center when the trainees leave their
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22 respective Job Corps training programs;
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23 12. 11. Any legal resident having a proven disability which
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24 renders the resident nonambulatory and confined to a wheelchair as
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 1 certified by a physician licensed in this state or any state which
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2 borders this state;
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3 13. 12. Any legal resident who is fishing with a pole and line,
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4 trotline, or throwline in streams, natural lakes, natural ponds, and
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5 mine pits in the county in which the person is a resident, or in
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6 streams, natural lakes, natural ponds, and mine pits which form a
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7 part of the boundary line of the county in which the person is a
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8 resident, when using any bait other than commercial or artificial
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9 bait, blood, stink bait, cut fish, and shrimp; and
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10 14. 13. Any legal resident or nonresident participating in an
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11 aquatic education event or clinic sanctioned by the Department of
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12 Wildlife Conservation.
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13 C. Except as otherwise provided for in the Oklahoma Wildlife
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14 Conservation Code, the resident fishing licenses issued pursuant to
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15 the provisions of this section and the fee for each shall be:
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16 1. Annual fishing license for legal residents eighteen (18)
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17 years of age and older - Twenty-four Dollars ($24.00) Thirty Dollars
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18 ($30.00);
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19 2. Annual fishing license for legal residents sixteen (16) or
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20 seventeen (17) years of age - Four Dollars ($4.00); and
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21 3. Two-day fishing license for legal residents - Fourteen
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22 Dollars ($14.00).
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23 D. Of the fees collected pursuant to the provisions of
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24 paragraphs 1 and 3 of subsection C of this section, Five Dollars
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 1 ($5.00) of the license fee shall be for the Oklahoma Wildlife Land
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2 Stamp and shall be deposited in the Oklahoma Wildlife Land Fund
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3 created pursuant to the provisions of Section 4-141 of this title.
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4 E. Except as otherwise provided for in the Oklahoma Wildlife
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5 Conservation Code, the nonresident fishing licenses issued pursuant
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6 to the provisions of this section and the fee for each shall be:
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7 1. Annual fishing license for nonresidents - Fifty-four Dollars
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8 ($54.00) Seventy-five Dollars ($75.00), provided the Commission may
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9 enter into reciprocity agreements with states wherein nonresident
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10 license fees shall be in conformity with such reciprocal agreements;
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11 2. Six-day fishing license for nonresidents – Thirty-four
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12 Dollars ($34.00); and
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13 3. One-day fishing license for nonresidents - Fourteen Dollars
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