Legislative counsel outlines technical corrections to hunting license penalties and tag fees in H928

Bradley Shman of the Office of Legislative Council briefed the Natural Resources & Energy Committee on H928, a technical corrections bill for fish and wildlife statutes.

Shman said the bill performs four primary tasks: update point‑violation cross‑references and, in some cases, change offense severities (moving some violations between 10‑ and 20‑point categories), give the Department of Fish & Wildlife the authority to issue additional big‑game tags and assess a provisional fee equal to the existing fee for that game species (subject to legislative approval within one year), permit the commission to make licenses valid for 365 days after issuance (rather than having all licenses expire on Dec. 31), and repeal a 1999 session‑law requirement that the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board and ANR produce a 10‑year plan for Champion Lands management.

Shman walked members through how the current penalty system works (10‑, 15‑, 20‑point bands within a rolling five‑year lookback) and noted enforcement consequences, for example that 20 points within five years triggers a three‑year hunting license suspension. "If you get 20 points in the 5‑year period, that's a three‑year suspension on your hunting license," Shman said.

On fees, Shman said the department could issue a second tag and charge a provisional fee similar to the current statutory fee while the department seeks legislative ratification within a year; if the General Assembly declines, the provisional fee would be voided. On the Champion Lands provision, he said the department has managed the lands on a 20‑year cadence and asked to remove the 10‑year update requirement for administrative efficiency.

What happens next: Committee members asked for another, longer session with the department to walk through specific point changes and enforcement practice; staff agreed to return with more detail. The act as drafted would take effect July 1, 2026.