Under existing law, all licenses, permits, tags, reservations, and other entitlements authorized by the Fish and Game Code are prepared and issued by the Department of Fish and Game. Existing law authorizes specified persons to obtain tags or stamps for the taking of specific animals or aquatic species, if certain requirements are met.

This bill would require that a person to whom a license, permit, reservation, tag, or other entitlement is issued pursuant to the Automated License Data System have the opportunity at the time of issuance to voluntarily authorize the release of contact information to nonprofit conservation organizations, as defined, through means of a checkoff box, or through other means the department determines to be appropriate. The bill would require the department to annually transmit contact information to the designated nonprofit conservation organization and would prohibit a nonprofit conservation organization that receives contact information from the department from sharing that information with any other 3rd party without the prior written consent of the individual to whom the contact information applies. The bill would authorize the department to impose a charge on a nonprofit conservation organization to recover the direct reasonable costs of administering these provisions. The department would be prohibited from implementing these provisions until the Fish and Game Commission, by a majority vote of its members, determines that there is sufficient interest among nonprofit conservation organizations to allow the department to recover, over a 3-year period, startup and ongoing costs resulting from the implementation of the provisions.