NEW LAWS

VIRGINIA ACTS OF ASSEMBLY -- CHAPTER

An Act to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 29.1-315.1, relating to a special hunting and fishing license for wildlife education events.

[H 2636]

Approved

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding a section numbered 29.1-315.1 as follows:
§ 29.1-315.1. Special permit to hunt and fish by youth during fish and wildlife education events.
Upon receipt of an application from an officer or other designated official representative of any nonprofit organization that has as one of its stated purposes to educate youth on Virginia's fish and wildlife resources, the Director may issue a permit to an officer or representative of the organization that allows youths under the age of 18 years old who participate in a fish and wildlife educational event of the organization to hunt and fish. This permit shall serve in lieu of having to purchase a state youth resident combination hunting license pursuant to § 29.1-303.3 or state resident basic hunting license pursuant to § 29.1-303, the special license for hunting bear, deer, and turkey pursuant to § 29.1-305 and the state resident fishing license pursuant to subsection A of § 29.1-310. The permit shall be valid for a period of 48 hours. The permit fee shall be $25 or as subsequently revised by the Board pursuant to § 29.1-103. The application for the permit shall state the date upon which it will be used, the general area in which it will be used, the name of the person and organization responsible for the group of participants, and the number of participants to be covered by the permit. All youth participating in a hunting event covered by the permit shall comply with the provisions of subsection A of § 29.1-300.1 regarding competence in hunter education, or shall be accompanied and directly supervised by an adult over the age of 18 who has, on his person, a valid Virginia hunting license.

For the purposes of this section, "accompanied and directly supervised" occurs when a person over 18 years of age maintains a close visual and verbal contact with, provides adequate direction to, and can immediately assume control of the firearm from the youth participant.   

VIRGINIA ACTS OF ASSEMBLY -- CHAPTER

An Act to amend and reenact § 29.1-312 of the Code of Virginia, relating to special hunting permits for certain veterans.

[H 1618]

Approved

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That § 29.1-312 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:
§ 29.1-312. Special fishing or hunting permits for certain veterans.
Upon application received from the director or other comparable official representing any veterans hospital or other military hospital in Virginia, any adjoining state, or the District of Columbia, the Director may permit any organized group of patients (i) actually residing in such hospitals or (ii) actively receiving outpatient medical treatment to hunt without licenses on any lands of the Commonwealth where it is otherwise legal to do so or to fish without licenses in any public waters open to fishing, including designated waters stocked with trout and in waters where a daily fishing fee has been imposed pursuant to § 29.1-318. The application for the permit shall state the date or dates upon which it will be used, the general area in which it will be used, and the name of the person or organization responsible for the group.

VIRGINIA ACTS OF ASSEMBLY -- CHAPTER

An Act to amend and reenact § 29.1-530.1 of the Code of Virginia, relating to wearing blaze orange when hunting doves.

[H 1847]

Approved

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That § 29.1-530.1 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:
§ 29.1-530.1. Blaze orange clothing required at certain times.
During any firearms deer season, except during the special season for hunting deer with a muzzle-loading rifle only, in counties and cities designated by the Board, every hunter, or any person accompanying a hunter, shall wear a blaze orange hat, except that the bill or brim of the hat may be a color or design other than solid blaze orange, or blaze orange upper body clothing that is visible from 360 degrees or display at least 100 square inches of solid blaze orange material at shoulder level within body reach visible from 360 degrees.

Any person violating the provisions of this section shall, upon conviction, pay a fine of $25.
Violations of this section shall not be admissible in any civil action for personal injury or death as evidence of negligence, contributory negligence or assumption of the risk.

This section shall not apply when (i) hunting waterfowl from stationary or floating blinds, (ii) hunting waterfowl over decoys, (iii) hunting waterfowl in wetlands as defined in § 28.2-1300, (iv) hunting waterfowl from a boat or other floating conveyance, (v) hunting doves, (vi) participating in hunting dog field trials permitted by the Board of Game and Inland Fisheries, (vi vii) on horseback while hunting foxes with hounds but without firearms, or (vii  viii) hunting with a bow and arrow in areas where the discharge of firearms is prohibited by state law or local ordinance.