A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to provide that the holder of a lifetime resident comprehensive fishing license or a lifetime sportsman license is entitled to the same privileges possessed by the holder of a saltwater fishing license.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 113‑270.1D(b) reads as rewritten:
"(b)	Lifetime Sportsman Licenses. Lifetime sportsman licenses are valid for the lifetime of the holders and entitle the holders to take all wild animals and wild birds by all lawful methods in all open seasons, including the use of game lands,  to fish with hook and line for all fish in all inland and joint fishing waters, including public mountain trout waters, and to engage in recreational fishing in coastal fishing waters to the same extent as the holder of a Saltwater Fishing License issued by the Division of Marine Fisheries under G.S. 113‑174.2. Lifetime sportsman licenses issued by the Wildlife Resources Commission are:
(1)	Infant Lifetime Sportsman License – $200.00. This license shall be issued only to an individual under one year of age.
(2)	Youth Lifetime Sportsman License – $350.00. This license shall be issued only to an individual under 12 years of age.
(3)	Adult Resident Lifetime Sportsman License – $500.00. This license shall be issued only to an individual resident of the State.
(4)	Nonresident Lifetime Sportsman License – $1,000. This license shall be issued only to an individual nonresident of the State.
(5)	Age 70 Resident Lifetime Sportsman License – $10.00. This license shall be issued only to an individual resident of the State who is at least 70 years of age.
(6)	Disabled Resident Sportsman License – $100.00. This license shall be issued only to (i) an individual resident of the State who is a fifty percent (50%) or more disabled veteran as determined by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, remaining valid for the lifetime of the individual so long as the individual remains fifty percent (50%) or more disabled; or (ii) an individual resident of the State who is totally disabled, remaining valid for the lifetime of the individual so long as the individual remains totally disabled. For purposes of this section, "totally disabled" means physically incapable of being gainfully employed."
SECTION 2.  G.S. 113‑271(a) reads as rewritten:
"(a)	All the hook‑and‑line fishing licenses set forth in subdivisions (1), (3), (7), and (9) of subsection (d) of this section entitle the holder to fish with hook and line in public mountain trout waters. The Lifetime Resident Comprehensive Fishing License set forth in subdivision (3) of subsection (d) of this section also entitles the holder to engage in recreational fishing in coastal fishing waters to the same extent as the holder of a Saltwater Fishing License issued by the Division of Marine Fisheries under G.S. 113‑174.2."
SECTION 3.  G.S. 113‑174.2(d) reads as rewritten:
"(d)	Exemptions. – An individual may engage in recreational fishing by means of recreational gear without having purchased a SFL if the individual either:
(1)	Is 18 years of age or younger and is currently enrolled in school and is making progress toward obtaining a high school diploma or its equivalent; or
(2)	Holds a Lifetime Resident Comprehensive Fishing License under G.S. 113‑271(d)(3) or a Lifetime Sportsman License under G.S. 113‑270.1D(b)."
SECTION 4.  This act becomes effective January 1, 2006.