Public Act 098-0118
 
SB0050 EnrolledLRB098 03793 MLW 33809 b


  
    AN ACT concerning wildlife.
  
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
 
represented in the General Assembly:
  
 
 
    Section 5. The Wildlife Code is amended  by changing Section 
3.1-4 as follows:
 
    (520 ILCS 5/3.1-4)
    Sec. 3.1-4. Military members returning from mobilization 
and service outside the United States.
    (a) After returning from service abroad or mobilization by 
the President of the United States as an active duty member of 
the United States Armed Forces, the Illinois National Guard, or 
the Reserves of the United States Armed Forces, an Illinois 
resident may hunt any of the species protected by Section 2.2 
of this Code without paying any fees required to obtain a 
hunting license for the time period prescribed by subsection 
(b) of this Section if the Illinois resident applies for a 
license within 2 years after returning from service abroad or 
mobilization. The applicant shall provide acceptable 
verification of service or mobilization to the Department 
either at the Department's office in Springfield or  at a 
Regional Office of the Department.
    (b) For each year that an applicant is an active duty 
member pursuant to subsection (a) of this Section, the 
applicant shall receive one free hunting license, one free Deer 
Hunting Permit as provided in Section 2.26 of this Code and 
rules adopted pursuant to that Section, and one free State 
Habitat Stamp. For the purposes of this determination, if the 
period of active duty is a portion of a year (for example, one 
year and 3 months), the applicant will be credited with a full 
year for the portion of a year served.
    (c) (Blank).

    (c-5) An Illinois resident veteran may obtain an Illinois 
Hunter Education card if he or she completes the online study 
section of the Illinois Hunter Education program and provides 
the Department with acceptable verification of service or 
mobilization. 
    (d) For the purposes of this Section, "acceptable 
verification of service or mobilization" means official  
documentation from the Department of Defense or the appropriate 
Major Command showing mobilization dates or service abroad 
dates, including: (i) a DD-214, (ii) a letter from the Illinois 
Department of Military Affairs for members of the Illinois 
National Guard, (iii) a letter from the Regional Reserve 
Command for members of the Armed Forces Reserve, (iv) a letter 
from the Major Command covering Illinois for active duty 
members, (v) personnel records for mobilized State employees, 
and (vi) any other documentation that the Department, by 
administrative rule, deems acceptable to establish dates of 
mobilization or service abroad. 
    (e) For the purposes of this Section, the term "service 
abroad" means active duty service outside of the 50 United 
States and the District of Columbia, and includes all active 
duty service in territories and possessions of the United 
States. 
(Source: P.A. 96-1014, eff. 1-1-11.)
 
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 
becoming law.