1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to game and fish; requiring certain reports; 
  1.3             modifying duties of citizen oversight committees; 
  1.4             modifying certain licensing fees; appropriating money; 
  1.5             amending Minnesota Statutes 1998, sections 97A.055, 
  1.6             subdivisions 4 and 4a; 97A.475, subdivisions 2, 3, 6, 
  1.7             7, 8, 11, 12, 13, and 20; and 97A.485, subdivision 12. 
  1.8   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.9      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 97A.055, 
  1.10  subdivision 4, is amended to read: 
  1.11     Subd. 4.  [ANNUAL REPORTS.] (a) By November 15 each year, 
  1.12  the commissioner shall submit to the legislative committees 
  1.13  having jurisdiction over appropriations and the environment and 
  1.14  natural resources reports on each of the following: 
  1.15     (1) the amount of revenue from the following and purposes 
  1.16  for which expenditures were made: 
  1.17     (i) the small game license surcharge under section 97A.475, 
  1.18  subdivision 4; 
  1.19     (ii) the Minnesota migratory waterfowl stamp under section 
  1.20  97A.475, subdivision 5, clause (1); 
  1.21     (iii) the trout and salmon stamp under section 97A.475, 
  1.22  subdivision 10; 
  1.23     (iv) the pheasant stamp under section 97A.475, subdivision 
  1.24  5, clause (2); and 
  1.25     (v) the turkey stamp under section 97A.475, subdivision 5, 
  1.26  clause (3); 
  2.1      (2) the amounts available under section 97A.075, 
  2.2   subdivision 1, paragraphs (b) and (c), and the purposes for 
  2.3   which these amounts were spent; ~~and~~ 
  2.4      (3) money credited to the game and fish fund under this 
  2.5   section and purposes for which expenditures were made from the 
  2.6   fund; 
  2.7      (4) outcome goals for the expenditures from the game and 
  2.8   fish fund; and 
  2.9      (5) summary and comments of citizen oversight committee 
  2.10  reviews under subdivision 4a. 
  2.11     (b) The report must include the commissioner's 
  2.12  recommendations, if any, for changes in the laws relating to the 
  2.13  stamps and surcharge referenced in paragraph (a). 
  2.14     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 97A.055, 
  2.15  subdivision 4a, is amended to read: 
  2.16     Subd. 4a.  [CITIZEN OVERSIGHT COMMITTEES.] (a) The 
  2.17  commissioner shall appoint committees of affected persons to 
  2.18  review the reports prepared under subdivision 4 and other 
  2.19  relevant information and make recommendations to the legislature 
  2.20  and the commissioner for improvements in the management and use 
  2.21  of money in the game and fish fund. 
  2.22     (b) The commissioner shall appoint the following committees:
  2.23     (1) a committee to review the annual game and fish fund 
  2.24  report and address general game and fish fund issues; 
  2.25     (2) a committee to address funding issues related to 
  2.26  fishing; 
  2.27     (3) a committee to review the report on the small game 
  2.28  license surcharge and the report required in subdivision 4, 
  2.29  paragraph (a), clause (2), and address funding issues related to 
  2.30  hunting; 
  2.31     (4) a committee to review the trout and salmon stamp report 
  2.32  and address funding issues related to trout and salmon; 
  2.33     (5) a committee to review the report on the migratory 
  2.34  waterfowl stamp and address funding issues related to migratory 
  2.35  waterfowl; 
  2.36     (6) a committee to review the report on the pheasant stamp 
  3.1   and address funding issues related to pheasants; and 
  3.2      (7) a committee to review the report on the turkey stamp 
  3.3   and address funding issues related to wild turkeys. 
  3.4      (c) The committees must make recommendations to the 
  3.5   commissioner for outcome goals from expenditures. 
  3.6      Sec. 3.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 97A.475, 
  3.7   subdivision 2, is amended to read: 
  3.8      Subd. 2.  [RESIDENT HUNTING.] Fees for the following 
  3.9   licenses, to be issued to residents only, are: 
  3.10     (1) for persons under age 65 to take small game, ~~$10~~ $12; 
  3.11     (2) for persons age 65 or over, ~~$5~~ $6; 
  3.12     (3) to take turkey, ~~$16~~ $18; 
  3.13     (4) to take deer with firearms, ~~$22~~ $25; 
  3.14     (5) to take deer by archery, ~~$22~~ $25; 
  3.15     (6) to take moose, for a party of not more than six 
  3.16  persons, ~~$275~~ $310; 
  3.17     (7) to take bear, ~~$33~~ $38; 
  3.18     (8) to take elk, for a party of not more than two persons, 
  3.19  ~~$220~~ $250; 
  3.20     (9) to take antlered deer in more than one zone, ~~$44~~ $50; 
  3.21  and 
  3.22     (10) to take Canada geese during a special season, ~~$3~~ $4.  
  3.23     Sec. 4.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 97A.475, 
  3.24  subdivision 3, is amended to read: 
  3.25     Subd. 3.  [NONRESIDENT HUNTING.] Fees for the following 
  3.26  licenses, to be issued to nonresidents, are: 
  3.27     (1) to take small game, ~~$56~~ $73; 
  3.28     (2) to take deer with firearms, ~~$110~~ $125; 
  3.29     (3) to take deer by archery, ~~$110~~ $125; 
  3.30     (4) to take bear, ~~$165~~ $195; 
  3.31     (5) to take turkey, ~~$56~~ $73; 
  3.32     (6) to take raccoon, bobcat, fox, coyote, or 
  3.33  lynx, ~~$137.50~~ $155; 
  3.34     (7) to take antlered deer in more than one zone, ~~$220~~ $250; 
  3.35  and 
  3.36     (8) to take Canada geese during a special season, ~~$3~~ $4. 
  4.1      Sec. 5.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 97A.475, 
  4.2   subdivision 6, is amended to read: 
  4.3      Subd. 6.  [RESIDENT FISHING.] Fees for the following 
  4.4   licenses, to be issued to residents only, are: 
  4.5      (1) to take fish by angling, for persons under age 
  4.6   65, ~~$15~~ $16; 
  4.7      (2) to take fish by angling, for persons age 65 and over, 
  4.8   ~~$5.50~~ $6.50; 
  4.9      (3) to take fish by angling, for a combined license for a 
  4.10  married couple, ~~$20.50~~ $25; 
  4.11     (4) to take fish by spearing from a dark house, ~~$15~~ $16; 
  4.12  and 
  4.13     (5) to take fish by angling for a 24-hour period selected 
  4.14  by the licensee, ~~$8~~ $8.50. 
  4.15     Sec. 6.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 97A.475, 
  4.16  subdivision 7, is amended to read: 
  4.17     Subd. 7.  [NONRESIDENT FISHING.] Fees for the following 
  4.18  licenses, to be issued to nonresidents, are: 
  4.19     (1) to take fish by angling, ~~$31~~ $34; 
  4.20     (2) to take fish by angling limited to seven consecutive 
  4.21  days selected by the licensee, ~~$21.50~~ $24; 
  4.22     (3) to take fish by angling for a 72-hour period selected 
  4.23  by the licensee, ~~$18~~ $20; 
  4.24     (4) to take fish by angling for a combined license for a 
  4.25  family, ~~$41.50~~ $46; 
  4.26     (5) to take fish by angling for a 24-hour period selected 
  4.27  by the licensee, ~~$8~~ $8.50; and 
  4.28     (6) to take fish by angling for a combined license for a 
  4.29  married couple, limited to 14 consecutive days selected by one 
  4.30  of the licensees, ~~$32~~ $35. 
  4.31     Sec. 7.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 97A.475, 
  4.32  subdivision 8, is amended to read: 
  4.33     Subd. 8.  [MINNESOTA SPORTING.] The commissioner shall 
  4.34  issue Minnesota sporting licenses to residents only.  The 
  4.35  licensee may take fish by angling and small game.  The fee for 
  4.36  the license is:  
  5.1      (1) for an individual, ~~$20~~ $23; and 
  5.2      (2) for a combined license for a married couple to take 
  5.3   fish and for one spouse to take small game, ~~$27.50~~ $32.  
  5.4      Sec. 8.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 97A.475, 
  5.5   subdivision 11, is amended to read: 
  5.6      Subd. 11.  [FISH HOUSES AND DARK HOUSES; RESIDENTS.] Fees 
  5.7   for the following licenses are: 
  5.8      (1) for a fish house or dark house that is not 
  5.9   rented, ~~$10~~ $11.50; and 
  5.10     (2) for a fish house or dark house that is rented, ~~$23~~ $26. 
  5.11     Sec. 9.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 97A.475, 
  5.12  subdivision 12, is amended to read: 
  5.13     Subd. 12.  [FISH HOUSES; NONRESIDENT.] Fees for fish house 
  5.14  licenses for a nonresident are:  
  5.15     (1) annual, ~~$31.50~~ $33; and 
  5.16     (2) seven consecutive days, ~~$18.50~~ $19. 
  5.17     Sec. 10.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 97A.475, 
  5.18  subdivision 13, is amended to read: 
  5.19     Subd. 13.  [NETTING WHITEFISH AND CISCOES FOR PERSONAL 
  5.20  CONSUMPTION.] The fee for a license to net whitefish and ciscoes 
  5.21  in inland lakes and international waters for personal 
  5.22  consumption is, for each net, ~~$9~~ $10. 
  5.23     Sec. 11.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 97A.475, 
  5.24  subdivision 20, is amended to read: 
  5.25     Subd. 20.  [TRAPPING LICENSE.] The fee for a license to 
  5.26  trap fur-bearing animals is: 
  5.27     (1) for persons over age 13 and under age 18, ~~$5.50~~ $6; and 
  5.28     (2) for persons age 18 and older, ~~$18~~ $20.  
  5.29     Sec. 12.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 97A.485, 
  5.30  subdivision 12, is amended to read: 
  5.31     Subd. 12.  [YOUTH DEER LICENSE.] The commissioner may, for 
  5.32  a fee of ~~$5~~ $5.50, issue to a resident under the age of 16 a 
  5.33  license, without a tag, to take deer with firearms.  A youth 
  5.34  holding a license issued under this subdivision may hunt under 
  5.35  the license only if accompanied by a licensed hunter who is at 
  5.36  least 18 years of age and possesses a valid tag.  A deer taken 
  6.1   by a youth holding a license issued under this subdivision must 
  6.2   be promptly tagged by the licensed hunter accompanying the 
  6.3   youth.  Section 97B.301, subdivision 6, does not apply to a 
  6.4   youth holding a license issued under this subdivision.  
  6.5      Sec. 13.  [APPROPRIATIONS.] 
  6.6      Subdivision 1.  [OPERATIONS SUPPORT.] (a) $1,565,000 is 
  6.7   appropriated in fiscal year 2001 from the general fund to the 
  6.8   commissioner of natural resources for operations support.  The 
  6.9   amount supplants funding from the game and fish fund under 
  6.10  paragraph (b) for the commissioner's office, human resources, 
  6.11  and office of management and budget services operations support. 
  6.12     (b) The appropriation for fiscal year 2001 from the game 
  6.13  and fish fund in Laws 1999, chapter 231, section 5, subdivision 
  6.14  9, is reduced by $1,565,000. 
  6.15     Subd. 2.  [ACCELERATED WALLEYE STOCKING.] $500,000 is 
  6.16  appropriated in fiscal year 2001 from the general fund to the 
  6.17  commissioner of natural resources for an accelerated walleye 
  6.18  stocking program. 
  6.19     Subd. 3.  [WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT.] $5,665,000 is appropriated 
  6.20  in fiscal year 2001 from the game and fish fund to the 
  6.21  commissioner of natural resources for fish and wildlife 
  6.22  management.  Eighty-five percent of this appropriation must be 
  6.23  spent on field operations.  The appropriation includes the 
  6.24  $1,565,000 reduced from the operations support budget under 
  6.25  subdivision 1, paragraph (b).  The money is available due to the 
  6.26  general fund appropriation under subdivision 1, paragraph (a), 
  6.27  which reduces the obligation of the game and fish fund to 
  6.28  operations support. 
  6.29     Subd. 4.  [ONE-TIME APPROPRIATION.] Notwithstanding any 
  6.30  other law enacted in 2000, the appropriations for this section 
  6.31  are made only once. 
  6.32     Subd. 5.  [STAFFING LEVELS.] The appropriations made under 
  6.33  this section are available only if license fees dedicated to the 
  6.34  game and fish fund are increased.  The staff complement in 
  6.35  fiscal years 2000 and 2001 for the division of fish and wildlife 
  6.36  shall not exceed fiscal year 1994 levels.  The commissioner 
  7.1   shall report to the senate and house committees with 
  7.2   jurisdiction over natural resources by November 15, 2000, on 
  7.3   staffing levels and activities funded under this section. 
  7.4      Sec. 14.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  7.5      Sections 1 to 12 are effective on March 1, 2001.