OAR 635-010-0159: Free Daily Licenses for Veterans

Effective January 1, 2021 through January 2, 2027, pursuant to ORS 497.162, a non-profit organization may request a daily license at no charge for an angling or shellfish harvest program for veterans or certain armed forces members. (1) For the purposes of this rule, unless context requires otherwise, the following definitions apply: (a) "Organization" means a non-profit organization (A) Qualified under Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3); (B) Registered in Oregon; (C) That serves veterans or armed forces members whose duty station is a warrior transition unit; and (D) That provides a program of angling or shellfish harvest. (b) “Program” includes excursions with the principle purpose of providing participants with angling or outdoor experiences: (A) Established on or before January 1, 2021 (B) Includes angling or shellfish harvest activities. (c) “Participants” include veterans , as defined in Title 38, USC 101(2), or members of the Armed Forces of the United States, as defined in Title 38, USC 101(10), whose duty station is a warrior transition unit. (2) A program participant is entitled to a daily license at no charge to use while participating in excursions. The daily license includes all licenses, tags, and endorsements necessary for angling and harvesting shellfish. (3) The organization is responsible for all daily Bearer licenses provided to participants by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW). The organization will: (a) Request from the ODFW Licensing Department a Bearer Daily Angling License for each participant at least 10 business days prior to scheduled excursions. (b) Maintain a record in either physical or electronic format of each participant provided with a Bearer daily angling license including: (A) Name (B) Date of Birth (C) ODFW ID Number (if license recipient has one) (D) Veteran or Service Member ID Number (E) Unique License Serial Number issued to license recipient (c) Maintain all Bearer license documents and records in a secure manner making records and Bearer daily angling licenses in either physical or electronic format available for inspection and audit at all times by the Oregon State Police (OSP) or by an authorized employee or agent of the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission. (d) Immediately notify ODFW and the local State Police office of any lost Bearer license or other program documents. (e) Within 15 days, upon completion of the program or request by ODFW, return all unused Bearer daily licenses to ODFW Licensing Department. (f) Within 15 days, upon completion of the scheduled excursions, ensure that all participant information has been entered into the Electronic Licensing System. (4) ODFW Licensing Department will run reports against the entered participant data and flag any possible enforcement concerns for notification to the OSP, Wildlife Enforcement section.