Senate 199

2026 REGULAR SESSION

Introduced

Senate Bill 199

By Senator Weld

[Introduced January 14, 2026; referred
to the Committee on Natural Resources; and then to the Committee on Finance]

A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding a new section, designated §20-2-65, relating to waivers of fees for emergency responders disabled in the line of duty for hunting, trapping, and fishing licenses; establishing procedures and requirements for requesting the waiver; and permitting the promulgation of rules by the Division of Natural Resources.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

ARTICLE 2. wildlife resources

§20-2-65. Waiver of fees for emergency responders disabled in the line of duty applying for hunting, trapping, and fishing licenses.

(a) For any emergency responder who has been found to be totally disabled in the line of duty, the fee to obtain the license or permit that would otherwise be required by the director by legislative rules issued pursuant to §20-2-42 of this code is waived.

(b) As used in this section, "emergency responder" has the same definition as defined in §5H-1-2 of this code.

(c) Any emergency responder seeking a fee waiver must submit the following:

(1) An affidavit signed by the applicant's department or agency head stating that the emergency responder has been found to be totally disabled due to circumstances which occurred in the line of duty.  

(2) Any other information required by the director for issuance of the license.

(d) The director may propose rules for legislative approval in accordance with the provisions of §29A-3-1 et seq. setting forth application and processing procedures.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to waive the fees for hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses or permits for emergency responders who are totally disabled in the line of duty.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.