                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

ESTABLISHMENT OF VIRGINIA MIGRATORY WATERFOWL CONSERVATION STAMP; REQUIRED (§
29.1-339.2)

A. No person shall hunt or take any migratory waterfowl within the Commonwealth
without first obtaining a Virginia Migratory Waterfowl Conservation Stamp. Every
person who is issued the Stamp shall carry it on his person when hunting or
taking any migratory waterfowl. Each Stamp shall be validated by the signature
of the licensee written across the face of such stamp. The Stamp shall be
designed and produced in accordance with Department policy and shall be valid
from July 1 of each year or their later date of purchase, to June 30 of the
following year, unless sooner revoked. Unless otherwise provided in this
chapter, any person who is exempt from hunting license requirements shall also
be exempt from the requirements imposed by this section. Any person who is under
the age of 16 years shall be exempt from the requirements of this section.

B. The fee for the Stamp for a resident and a nonresident is $9.75. Clerks and
license agents who sell hunting licenses shall sell the Stamp and retain $0.75
as compensation for such service. The Board may subsequently revise the cost of
the fees set forth in this section pursuant to &#xA7; 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 delivery
system shall be consistent with the fees specified in &#xA7; 29.1-332. The
format of the Stamp shall be the same as any other license, validation, or
privilege issued through an automated license delivery system. When purchased
through an automated license delivery system, the purchaser shall have the
option of requesting the actual Stamp at the address specified on the license at
the time of purchase.

D. The moneys received from the sale of the Stamp shall be paid by each clerk or
agent to the Department for payment into the state treasury. Payment shall be
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 credit the sums
to the Game Protection Fund established in § 29.1-101 and accounted for as a
separate fund to be designated as the Virginia Migratory Waterfowl Conservation
Stamp Fund (the Stamp Fund). Moneys from the Stamp Fund shall not be diverted to
any other state agency. The Department shall use the moneys in the Stamp Fund in
the following manner:

   1. The Department shall first utilize these moneys to cover any administrative
   costs associated with production and issuance of, and accounting for, the
   Stamp.

   2. The Department shall contract 50 percent of the remaining annual revenue
   deposited in the Stamp Fund with appropriate nonprofit organizations for
   cooperative waterfowl habitat improvement projects. Before paying such moneys
   to any nonprofit organization, the Department shall obtain evidence that the
   organization is eligible to receive funds for such projects.

   3. The remainder of the moneys in the Stamp Fund shall be used by the
   Department to protect, preserve, restore, enhance, and develop waterfowl
   habitat in Virginia.

E. The Department may establish (i) the method for selecting appropriate designs
for the Stamp and (ii) eligibility criteria for receiving funds for waterfowl
habitat improvement projects. The Department may sell expired Stamps for less
than face value to the general public for a period of three years, after which
time the Department shall shred any unsold expired Stamps. All revenues derived
from the sale of these Stamps shall be paid into the state treasury to the
credit of the Game Protection Fund and dedicated to the Stamp Fund.

F. For purposes of this section:
			&#8220;Migratory waterfowl&#8221; means those migratory birds belonging to
the Family Anatidae (ducks, geese, brant, and swans) for which open hunting
seasons are established by federal regulations.
			&#8220;Stamp&#8221; means the Virginia Migratory Waterfowl Conservation
Stamp.

HISTORY: 2005, c. 127; 2007, c. 644; 2009, c. 9.