HBA-BSM H.B. 1778 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1778
By: Brimer
State Recreational Resources
3/4/2001
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Current law provides that persons who are 17 years of age or older on
September 1, 1988, or on the date on which a mandatory hunter education
course is implemented, whichever is later, are exempt from the requirements
of the Hunter Education Program.  House Bill 1778 authorizes the Parks and
Wildlife Department to establish a mandatory statewide hunter education
program and require all persons under 18 years of age but over 11 years of
age to successfully complete a training course before they can legally hunt
in Texas. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

ANALYSIS

House Bill 1778 amends the Parks and Wildlife Code to authorize the Parks
and Wildlife Department (department), if funds are available,  to establish
and administer a mandatory hunter education program for persons aged
between 12 and 17, and to require a person to have successfully completed a
training course before the person may hunt with firearms, archery
equipment, or crossbows in Texas.  The bill requires the department to make
available on the Internet the hunter education course in its entirety,
including all the necessary study material, and all tests required by the
department for successful completion of the course necessary for
certification. 

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2001.