Bill Text: CA SB1021 | 2025-2026 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Fishing and hunting: youth program.
Sponsorship: Moderate Partisan Bill (Republican 14-4)
Status: (Engrossed) 2026-06-16 - From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 1.) (June 16). [SB1021 Detail]
Download: California-2025-SB1021-Amended.html
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Amended
IN
Senate
May 18, 2026 |
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Amended
IN
Senate
April 07, 2026 |
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Amended
IN
Senate
March 16, 2026 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Senate Bill
No. 1021
| Introduced by Senator Choi (Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Hadwick) (Coauthors: Senators Alvarado-Gil, Cabaldon, Cortese, Dahle, Grove, Jones, Menjivar, and Strickland) (Coauthors: Assembly Members Alanis, Castillo, Flora, Johnson, |
February 10, 2026 |
An act to add and repeal Section 318 of the Fish and Game Code, relating to fish and wildlife.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 1021, as amended, Choi.
Fishing and hunting: youth program.
The California Constitution establishes the Fish and Game Commission and provides for the delegation to the commission of powers relating to the protection and propagation of fish and game. Existing law places the Fish and Game Commission in the Natural Resources Agency.
This bill would require the commission to, on or before January 1, 2028, establish a program to increase opportunities to fish, and to hunt big game, wild pigs, upland game birds, and migratory game birds, for resident youth with life-threatening illnesses. The bill would require the commission, in developing the program, to consult with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, certain interested nonprofit organizations, and other interested parties. The bill would require the
commission, in establishing and implementing the program, to provide reasonable accommodations for participants in accordance with federal and state disability laws, as prescribed. The bill would authorize the commission to adopt additional reasonable accommodations consistent with safe, ethical, and science-based wildlife management practices. The bill would require the department to, on or before January 1, 2032, prepare and submit a report to the relevant legislative policy and budget committees in both houses of the Legislature, as provided. The bill would make the implementation of its provisions contingent upon an appropriation by the Legislature. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2033.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NOBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 318 is added to the Fish and Game Code, immediately following Section 317, to read:318.
(a) (1) On or before January 1, 2028, the commission shall establish a program to increase opportunities to fish, and to hunt big game, wild pigs, upland game birds, and migratory game birds, for resident youth with life-threatening illnesses.(2) In developing the program, the commission, through a public process, shall consult with the department, interested nonprofit organizations that have goals and objectives directly related to the management and conservation of fish, big game, wild pigs, upland game birds, and migratory game bird species and primarily represent the interests of persons
licensed pursuant to Sections 3031 and 7145, and any other interested parties.
(b) The program shall include, but is not limited to, the following:
(1) Any hunter education requirements established pursuant to Article 2.5 (commencing with Section 3049) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 4 shall not be waived.
(2) The department shall take any potential allocation of an animal or animals to the program into consideration when determining the number of opportunities to be made available to the hunting community to take species with limited populations where tags are available by lottery or auction only.
(3) The director shall notify the
commission of any program activities at commission meetings.
(4) The commission may authorize the establishment of special hunts for the program within the general season for the species.
(c) In establishing and implementing the program, the commission shall provide reasonable accommodations for participants in accordance with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 12101 et seq.), Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. Sec. 794), and any applicable state disability laws. These accommodations shall include, but not be limited to, authorization for a qualified assistant to accompany the youth for the purposes of tracking, retrieving, and dispatching game or fish. The commission may adopt additional reasonable accommodations
consistent with safe, ethical, and science-based wildlife management practices, including modified equipment or access provisions where appropriate. The commission shall adopt rules and regulations as necessary to implement these accommodations.
(d) Nothing in this section precludes the commission from granting reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities in accordance with federal and state law or limits the commission’s existing authority under this code to adopt regulations implementing the program.
(c)
(e) (1) On or before January 1,
2032, the department shall prepare and submit a report to the relevant legislative policy and budget committees in both houses of the Legislature. The report shall include, but is not limited to, the following:
(A) The number and types of opportunities provided to youth with life-threatening illnesses pursuant to the program and the number of youth who participated in those opportunities. The date or dates of each opportunity and any participating nonprofit organization that assisted with the opportunity.
(B) Recommendations, if any, to improve the program. The department may solicit recommendations from stakeholders and the public.
(C) All department and commission costs in developing and implementing the program,
and revenues, if any, associated with the program.
(2) For purposes of the report described in paragraph (1), data collection efforts shall avoid duplication and data collected for other purposes shall be used to the extent feasible.
(3) A report submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
(d)
(f) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:
(1) “Big game” has the same meaning as defined in Section 350 of Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations.
(2) “Life-threatening illness” means an illness that can lead to a possibility of a termination of life within five years or less as stated in writing by the patient’s attending physician or surgeon.
(3) “Program” means the program developed by the commission pursuant to subdivision (a).
(4) “Youth” means an individual younger than 18 years of age.
(g) The implementation of this section is contingent upon an appropriation for its purposes by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act or another
act.
(e)
(h) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2033, and as of that date is repealed.
