January 2002
Contact: Josh Weiss,
Legislative and Legal Affairs Coordinator
(360) 902-2226

Situation

Current state law allows the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to issue duplicate hunting and fishing licenses for persons who have lost their original license.

The old paper system for recording and storing license information could not provide a quick and accurate method for determining if an individual had previously purchased an initial license. Replacement fees were in many instances set significantly higher than the original license cost as a way to discourage fraud.

The new Washington Interactive Licensing Database (WILD) system, which went into service on March 1, 2001, allows WDFW to know instantly at the point of sale whether the customer has purchased an original license that is now being claimed as lost. In fact, the system does not allow a clerk to sell a duplicate license that does not already appear in the database.

Problem

As it currently exists, WDFW's duplicate fees for some youth and disabled licenses are higher than the original cost. For example, a license for a youth or disabled hunter to hunt deer, elk, bear, or cougar costs $33; a replacement license costs $50. A youth's small-game license with migratory bird and turkey validations costs $21; a replacement license costs $26.

A change is needed to provide a more equitable and fair fee structure that reflects the current automated point-of-sale license vending system.

Proposal

Under the proposed legislation, the price of a duplicate license would be set at less than the original price of a license. The Fish and Wildlife Commission would be provided the authority to set duplicate fees at a cost lower than the original license cost. It is contemplated that the duplicate license cost would be set at the agency's cost to actually replace the license. This reduction is one way that the agency can spread the benefits of its new automated licensing system to agency's customers.

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