California Measure Would Combine Hunting/Fishing License

SACRAMENTO – A measure that would combine hunting and fishing licenses has passed its first hurdle and is now on its way to the Senate Appropriations Committee for a hearing.

One of the authors of the bill, Senator Brian W. Jones (R-Santee) explains.

“Other nearby states including Arizona, Nevada, and Oregon already offer combination hunting/fishing licenses which have proved popular and have helped introduce new people to both sports, Offering a convenient way to legally hunt and fish, get a full year’s worth out of the license, and automatically renew the license in California makes sense all around. This will allow even more people to enjoy our state’s great outdoors more often.”

SB 470 is a bipartisan measure coauthored by Senators Dave Cortese (D-San Jose), Brian Dahle (R-Bieber), Bill Dodd (D-Napa), and Scott Wilk (R-Santa Clarita).

If passed Bill 460 would do the following beginning in 2024.

• Allow Californians and non-residents to purchase a combined hunting/fishing license rather than having to purchase both licenses separately
• Make the newly created combination license valid for 365 days from the date of purchase – currently, California hunting and fishing licenses expire on December 31 of the year purchased, regardless of the date purchased; and
• Require the state to establish an optional automatic renewal and payment process for the combined license since California currently only allows auto-renewal for fishing licenses.