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HB 3221

Burial Equity Act

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Jeff Campbell and 10 co-sponsors

Sets a $5 reduced license fee for qualifying Illinois resident veterans (fishing, hunting, and combos), with admin rules to verify service and issue reduced licenses.

To House Finance
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Bill Summary · HB 3221

HB 3221 — FISH & WILDLIFE — LICENSE FEES

Status (latest): Received from House by the Senate 5/14/2025; referred to Senate Finance
Introduced: Feb 18–24, 2025 (Rep. Wayne A. Rosenthal) — Passed the House 5/13/2025.
Companion: SB 1128

Purpose / Intent

To reduce hunting and fishing license costs for certain Illinois resident veterans who have returned from overseas service or were mobilized by the President, and to authorize the Department (presumably Department of Natural Resources) to adopt procedures verifying veteran eligibility.

Key provisions

  • Amends the Fish and Aquatic Life Code (515 ILCS 5/20-45) and the Wildlife Code (520 ILCS 5/3.2).
  • Establishes a reduced fee for qualifying resident veterans for fishing and hunting licenses. The bill’s synopsis states the fee is $5 for those eligible veterans.
  • Extends reduced-fee treatment to several license types described in the statutes, including:
    • Annual sport fishing licenses,
    • 3‑year fishing licenses,
    • Sportsmen’s combination licenses (fishing + hunting),
    • Other resident license categories where the statutes currently provide reduced or alternate rates.
  • Requires veterans to provide "acceptable verification" of service to qualify.
  • Directs the Department to establish administrative rules setting the verification procedure and to implement issuance of reduced-fee licenses to qualifying resident veterans.

(Note: the bill text includes some formatting/wording irregularities; the clear policy thrust is to set a $5 fee for qualifying veterans and to require rulemaking for verification.)

Who is affected

  • Primary beneficiaries: Illinois resident veterans who returned from service abroad or were mobilized by the President as active duty members of the U.S. Armed Forces, the Illinois National Guard, or the U.S. Reserves.
  • Administrative: Illinois Department responsible for fish & wildlife licensing (rulemaking and verification).
  • Fiscal: State license revenue will be reduced for each qualifying veteran who uses the reduced-fee option; overall budget impact would depend on take‑up and the number of eligible veterans.

Verification & Administration

  • Veterans must provide proof of qualifying service.
  • The Department must promulgate administrative rules describing acceptable verification methods and procedures for issuing reduced-fee licenses.

Legislative timeline (selected)

  • Introduced Feb 18–24, 2025; assigned to committees (Agriculture & Conservation; Pensions, Investments & Financial Services).
  • Reported out of committee and placed on calendar in April–May 2025.
  • Passed the Illinois House 5/13/2025; transmitted to Senate 5/14/2025 and referred to Senate Finance.

Notes / Observations

  • The bill’s language contains some internal inconsistencies/formatting errors (e.g., references to “commencing with the 2012 license year”) that would likely be clarified in committee or amendment. The central, consistent policy is a $5 resident veteran fee and delegated verification rulemaking.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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