29.1-339.2 - Establishment of Virginia Migratory Waterfowl Conservation Stamp; required.
§ 29.1-339.2. Establishment of Virginia Migratory Waterfowl ConservationStamp; required.
A. No person shall hunt or take any migratory waterfowl within theCommonwealth without first obtaining a Virginia Migratory WaterfowlConservation Stamp. Every person who is issued the Stamp shall carry it onhis person when hunting or taking any migratory waterfowl. Each Stamp shallbe validated by the signature of the licensee written across the face of suchstamp. The Stamp shall be designed and produced in accordance with Departmentpolicy and shall be valid from July 1 of each year or their later date ofpurchase, to June 30 of the following year, unless sooner revoked. Unlessotherwise provided in this chapter, any person who is exempt from huntinglicense requirements shall also be exempt from the requirements imposed bythis section. Any person who is under the age of 16 years shall be exemptfrom the requirements of this section.
B. The fee for the Stamp for a resident and a nonresident is $9.75. Clerksand license agents who sell hunting licenses shall sell the Stamp and retain$0.75 as compensation for such service. The Board may subsequently revise thecost of the fees set forth in this section pursuant to § 29.1-103.
C. The Stamp may also be issued through an automated license delivery system.The fee for the issuance of the Stamp through an automated license deliverysystem shall be consistent with the fees specified in § 29.1-332. The formatof the Stamp shall be the same as any other license, validation, or privilegeissued through an automated license delivery system. When purchased throughan automated license delivery system, the purchaser shall have the option ofrequesting the actual Stamp at the address specified on the license at thetime of purchase.
D. The moneys received from the sale of the Stamp shall be paid by each clerkor agent to the Department for payment into the state treasury. Payment shallbe made by means prescribed by the Board and agreed to by the clerk or agent.Upon receipt into the treasury of such moneys, the Comptroller shall creditthe sums to the Game Protection Fund established in § 29.1-101 and accountedfor as a separate fund to be designated as the Virginia Migratory WaterfowlConservation Stamp Fund (the Stamp Fund). Moneys from the Stamp Fund shallnot be diverted to any other state agency. The Department shall use themoneys in the Stamp Fund in the following manner:
1. The Department shall first utilize these moneys to cover anyadministrative costs associated with production and issuance of, andaccounting for, the Stamp.
2. The Department shall contract 50 percent of the remaining annual revenuedeposited in the Stamp Fund with appropriate nonprofit organizations forcooperative waterfowl habitat improvement projects. Before paying such moneysto any nonprofit organization, the Department shall obtain evidence that theorganization is eligible to receive funds for such projects.
3. The remainder of the moneys in the Stamp Fund shall be used by theDepartment to protect, preserve, restore, enhance, and develop waterfowlhabitat in Virginia.
E. The Department may establish (i) the method for selecting appropriatedesigns for the Stamp and (ii) eligibility criteria for receiving funds forwaterfowl habitat improvement projects. The Department may sell expiredStamps for less than face value to the general public for a period of threeyears, after which time the Department shall shred any unsold expired Stamps.All revenues derived from the sale of these Stamps shall be paid into thestate treasury to the credit of the Game Protection Fund and dedicated to theStamp Fund.
F. For purposes of this section:
"Migratory waterfowl" means those migratory birds belonging to the FamilyAnatidae (ducks, geese, brant, and swans) for which open hunting seasons areestablished by federal regulations.
"Stamp" means the Virginia Migratory Waterfowl Conservation Stamp.
(2005, c. 127; 2007, c. 644; 2009, c. 9.)