7151
. (a) Upon application to the department, the following
persons, if they have not been convicted of any violation of this
code, shall be issued, free of any charge or fee, a sport fishing
license, that authorizes the licensee to take any fish, reptile, or
amphibian anywhere in this state for purposes other than profit:
(1) Any blind person upon presentation of proof of blindness.
"Blind person" means a person with central visual acuity of 20/200 or
less in the better eye, with the aid of the best possible correcting
glasses, or central visual acuity better than 20/200 if the widest
diameter of the remaining visual field is no greater than 20 degrees.
Proof of blindness shall be by certification from a qualified
licensed optometrist or ophthalmologist or by presentation of a
license issued pursuant to this paragraph in any previous license
year.
(2) Every resident Native American who, in the discretion of the
department, is financially unable to pay the fee required for the
license.
(3) Any developmentally disabled person, upon presentation of
certification of that disability from a qualified licensed physician,
or the director of a state regional center for the developmentally
disabled.
(4) Any person who is a resident of the state and who is so
severely physically disabled as to be permanently unable to move from
place to place without the aid of a wheelchair, walker, forearm
crutches, or a comparable mobility-related device. Proof of the
disability shall be by certification from a licensed physician or
surgeon or, by presentation of a license issued pursuant to this
paragraph in any previous license year after 1996.
(b) Sport fishing licenses issued pursuant to paragraph (2) of
subdivision (a) are valid for the calendar year of issue or, if
issued after the beginning of the year, for the remainder thereof.
(c) Sport fishing licenses issued pursuant to paragraphs (1), (3),
and (4) of subdivision (a) are valid for five calendar years, or if
issued after the beginning of the first year, for the remainder
thereof.
(d) Upon application to the department, the department may issue,
free of any charge or fee, a sport fishing license to groups of
mentally or physically handicapped persons under the care of a
certified federal, state, county, city, or private licensed care
center that is a community care facility as defined in subdivision
(a) of Section 1502 of the Health and Safety Code, to organizations
exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the federal Internal
Revenue Code, or to schools or school districts. Any organization
that applies for a group fishing license shall provide evidence that
it is a legitimate private licensed care center, tax-exempt
organization, school, or school district. The license shall be issued
to the person in charge of the group and shall be in his or her
possession when the group is fishing. Employees of private licensed
care centers, tax-exempt organizations, schools, or school districts
are exempt from Section 7145 only while assisting physically or
mentally disabled persons fishing under the authority of a valid
license issued pursuant to this section. The license shall include
the location where the activity will take place, the date or dates of
the activity, and the maximum number of people in the group. The
licenseholder shall notify the local department office before fishing
and indicate where, when, and how long the group will fish.
(e) Upon application to the department, the department may issue,
free of any charge or fee, a sport fishing license to a nonprofit
organization for day-fishing trips that provide recreational
rehabilitation therapy for active duty members of the United States
military who are currently receiving inpatient care in a military or
Veterans Administration hospital and veterans with service-connected
disabilities. The license shall be valid for the calendar year of
issue or, if issued after the beginning of the year, for the
remainder of that year. The license shall be issued to the person in
charge of the group, and shall be in the licenseholder's possession
when the group is fishing. The organization shall notify the local
department office before fishing and indicate where, when, and how
long the group will fish. To be eligible for a license under this
subdivision, an organization shall be registered to do business in
this state or exempt from taxation under Section 501(c) of the
federal Internal Revenue Code.
(f) On January 15 of each year, the department shall determine the
number of free sport fishing licenses in effect during the preceding
year under subdivisions (a), (d), and (e).
(g) There shall be appropriated from the General Fund a sum equal
to two dollars ($2) per free sport fishing license in effect during
the preceding license year under subdivisions (a) and (d), as
determined by the department pursuant to subdivision (f). That sum
may be appropriated annually in the Budget Act for transfer to the
Fish and Game Preservation Fund and appropriated in the Budget Act
from the Fish and Game Preservation Fund to the department for the
purposes of this part.