HB 1199 - AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE
19Feb2026... 0527h
2026 SESSION
26-2549
08/06
HOUSE BILL 1199
SPONSORS: Rep. Spillane, Rock. 2; Rep. Darby, Hills. 11; Rep. DeVito, Rock. 8; Rep. Erf, Hills. 28; Rep. Moffett, Merr. 4; Rep. Ouellet, Coos 3; Rep. Ulery, Hills. 13; Sen. Innis, Dist 7; Sen. Pearl, Dist 17; Sen. Watters, Dist 4
COMMITTEE: Fish and Game and Marine Resources
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AMENDED ANALYSIS
This bill enables the fish and game department to create a permit and fee for the use of fish and game staff by other state agencies and departments.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
19Feb2026... 0527h 26-2549
08/06
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 New Section; Interagency Support Permit and Reimbursement. Amend RSA 206 by inserting after section 33-h the following new section:
206:33-i Interagency Support Permit and Reimbursement.
I. The executive director of the fish and game department may establish, after consultation with the fish and game commission, a permit or fee structure for the provision of department personnel, equipment, or expertise to other state agencies or departments, when such support is requested or required for the fulfillment of that agency’s statutory duties, by rule adopted pursuant to RSA 541-A.
II. The permit or fee shall be based on the actual cost to the department, including but not limited to:
(a) Personnel time, including salary and benefits.
(b) Use of department vehicles, vessels, or equipment.
(c) Administrative overhead associated with coordination and reporting.
III. All revenues collected under this section shall be deposited in the fish and game fund established under RSA 206:33.
2 Lifetime Licenses. Amend RSA 214:9-c to read as follows:
214:9-c Lifetime Licenses.
I.(a) The executive director, at the department of fish and game headquarters only, shall issue lifetime hunting, freshwater fishing, or combination hunting and freshwater fishing licenses similar to that issued on an annual basis under RSA 214:9, III to any resident applicant upon payment of the proper fee, which shall be established by the executive director in accordance with the provisions of paragraph II.
(b)(1) In addition, the executive director may issue lifetime licenses to any resident under 16 years of age.
(2) In addition further, the executive director may issue discounted lifetime licenses to residents [who have not yet reached] at any time on or before their first birthday. The executive director shall establish the discounted amount of such lifetime licenses in rules adopted under RSA 541-A, except that the fee for a combination hunting and freshwater fishing lifetime license for a resident who has not yet [reached] passed his or her first birthday shall be set by the executive director as prescribed in paragraph II.
(3) The parent or legal guardian of the applicant shall be a resident pursuant to RSA 207:1, XXIII. The hunting license or hunting portion of the combination license shall not be valid until the licensee has met the requirements of RSA 214:23-a. Upon meeting the requirements of RSA 214:23-a, the licensee shall have the hunting license or the combination hunting and fishing license validated at the fish and game department headquarters only.
(4) The executive director, upon application, may issue a discounted lifetime license to a resident who is a permanently disabled veteran and complies with the provisions of RSA 214:13.
II. The discounted amount of a permanently disabled veteran's lifetime license shall be 50 percent of the cost of a lifetime license calculated pursuant to paragraph II of this section.
III. The executive director shall obtain an actuarial table based on an appropriate annuity from the commissioner of insurance and shall set the fee for the various licenses, including newborns, annually on July 15 of each year for the following year based on the age of the applicant. The fee for any applicant under 16 years of age shall be the same as the fee for a 16-year-old applicant, except for newborns which shall be set by the executive director. In addition the applicant shall pay the agent's fee in accordance with RSA 214-A:4.
IV. In no case shall any lifetime license issued be transferable or any portion of the cost of the license refundable.
V. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the monies received from the sale of such lifetime licenses shall be deposited with the state treasurer who shall keep the same in a separate fund to be known as the prepaid fish and game license fund. The state treasurer shall invest the monies in the fund and shall annually transfer to the fish and game fund from the prepaid fish and game license fund an amount equal to 9 percent of the principal balance in the fund each year and any interest that accrues to the prepaid fish and game license fund in excess of 5 percent as unrestricted funds, available for expenditure for any lawful purpose authorized under RSA 206:38.
VI. In addition, the state treasurer shall pay the amount of one annual license fee to the fish and game fund from the proceeds of each lifetime license sold during the current year, the balance going into the prepaid fish and game license fund.
VII.(a) The state treasurer shall establish a separate, nonlapsing account within the fish and game fund, separate from the amounts transferred pursuant to paragraphs IV and V, to be known as the fish and game modernization and sustainability account. Up to $600,000 of the principal of the prepaid fish and game license fund may be credited to the fish and game modernization and sustainability account in each of the fiscal years 2027 and 2028, and $50,000 shall be continually appropriated and credited to the account annually beginning in fiscal year 2029, in a single lump sum payment, provided that no such payment shall reduce the balance of the prepaid fish and game license fund below $1,000,000.
(b) Moneys in the fish and game modernization and sustainability account shall be used exclusively for the following purposes:
(1) Supporting business operations, technological modernization, and outreach efforts that improve the sale, distribution, and management of hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses.
(2) Enhancing digital and operational systems.
(3) Advancing public education and engagement on fish, wildlife, and marine resources through technology enabled communication, community outreach, and targeted informational programs.
[VI.] VIII. Licenses issued pursuant to this section shall entitle the holder thereof to the same privileges and subject the licensee to the same restrictions as a holder of an annual license.
[VII.] IX. The executive director shall issue a bear license and tag upon application by the valid holder of a lifetime hunting or combination license. Such license and tag shall be valid for the current bear season only. The bear license and tag shall be issued at no charge and each shall be of a type and design approved by the executive director. Lifetime licensees holding bear licenses shall comply with all provisions of RSA 208 relative to tagging, transportation and possession of bear.
[VII-a.] X. A person holding a valid lifetime fishing license or lifetime combination hunting and fishing license, issued prior to January 1, 2011, may make an application for a saltwater license at no charge to be issued by the executive director to fish for saltwater smelt, saltwater shad, and saltwater salmonoids only. Such licenses shall be valid for a calendar year only.
[VIII.] XI. The executive director shall, if necessary, adopt rules, pursuant to RSA 541-A, relative to the issuance and validation of the lifetime licenses.
3 New Subparagraph; Fish and Game Modernization and Sustainability Fund. Amend RSA 6:12, I(b) by inserting after subparagraph (410) the following new subparagraph:
(411) Moneys deposited into the fish and game modernization and sustainability account established in RSA 214:9-c.
I. Sections 2-3 of this act shall take effect July 1, 2026.
II. The remainder of this act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.