84R22045 SLB-D
	By: Phelan	H.B. No. 1979
	Substitute the following for H.B. No. 1979:
	By:  Larson	C.S.H.B. No. 1979

	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
	AN ACT
	relating to a bag limit exemption for certain participants in
	certain fishing tournaments in Chambers, Jefferson, Galveston,
	Hardin, Newton, and Orange Counties; authorizing a fee.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
	SECTION 1.  Title 7, Parks and Wildlife Code, is amended by
	adding Chapter 290 to read as follows:
	CHAPTER 290. CHAMBERS, JEFFERSON, GALVESTON, HARDIN, NEWTON, AND
	ORANGE COUNTIES
	Sec. 290.001.  BAG LIMIT EXEMPTIONS FOR CERTAIN FISHING
	TOURNAMENTS. (a)  In this section, "fishing tournament" has the
	meaning assigned by Section 66.023.
	(b)  This section applies only to a fishing tournament that:
	(1)  is held on the southern stretches of the Sabine or
	Neches River, in the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, or in the Gulf of
	Mexico as those bodies of water lie within or are adjacent to the
	following counties:
	(A)  Chambers County;
	(B)  Jefferson County;
	(C)  Galveston County;
	(D)  Hardin County;
	(E)  Newton County; and
	(F)  Orange County; and
	(2)  has as its participants only competitors who
	attend high school or college.
	(c)  The department shall grant a permit for a bag limit
	exemption under this section to a fishing tournament if the
	organizer of the fishing tournament submits to the department:
	(1)  a complete application on a form supplied by the
	department; and
	(2)  a fee in the amount of $500.
	(d)  A permit issued under Subsection (c) must state the
	terms of the exemption and the dates for which the exemption is
	valid. The organizer of the tournament shall distribute a copy of
	the permit to all participants.
	(e)  A permit issued under this section shall allow a
	participant in a fishing tournament to count toward the
	participant's bag limit for largemouth bass a fish that is smaller
	than the applicable minimum size limit by not more than two inches
	if, at the time the fish are inspected for the purpose of
	determining compliance with the bag limit, the participant has in
	the participant's possession a copy of the permit.
	(f)  A fish counted under this section must be released after
	weighing.
	(g)  The commission shall adopt rules to implement this
	section.
	(h)  The department shall deposit money received for the
	purchase of a permit under Subsection (c) to the credit of the game,
	fish, and water safety account.
	SECTION 2.  Chapter 290, Parks and Wildlife Code, as added by
	this Act, applies only to a fishing tournament held on or after the
	effective date of this Act.
	SECTION 3.  (a)  The legal notice of the intention to
	introduce this Act, setting forth the general substance of this
	Act, has been published as provided by law, and the notice and a
	copy of this Act have been furnished to all persons, agencies,
	officials, or entities to which they are required to be furnished
	under Section 59, Article XVI, Texas Constitution, and Chapter 313,
	Government Code.
	(b)  The governor, one of the required recipients, has
	submitted the notice and Act to the Texas Commission on
	Environmental Quality.
	(c)  The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has filed
	its recommendations relating to this Act with the governor, the
	lieutenant governor, and the speaker of the house of
	representatives within the required time.
	(d)  All requirements of the constitution and laws of this
	state and the rules and procedures of the legislature with respect
	to the notice, introduction, and passage of this Act are fulfilled
	and accomplished.
	SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
	Act takes effect September 1, 2015.