§644. Fishing and hunting license checkoff; donation for Hunters for the Hungry
A. Each individual who purchases a fishing or hunting license may donate to Hunters
for the Hungry. The donation shall be made at the time of the purchase of the license and
shall be made upon the license form as prescribed by the secretary.
B. There is hereby created within the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries a special
escrow account known as the "Hunters for the Hungry Escrow Account". The escrow
account is created to receive deposits of donations for the benefit of Hunters for the Hungry
made when an individual purchases a fishing and hunting license, and no public funds shall
be deposited into the escrow account. The monies in the escrow account shall be used solely
as provided by Subsection C of this Section. All unexpended and unencumbered monies in
this escrow account at the end of the fiscal year shall remain in the escrow account. The
monies in the escrow account shall be invested by the state treasurer in the same manner as
monies in the state general fund.
C. No more than twenty-five percent of the monies in the escrow account shall be
used for administrative costs. The balance shall be used solely by Hunters for the Hungry to
pay for the following:
(1) Processing and distribution of commercial or game fish, migratory or resident
game bird, game quadruped, alligator, or feral hog when any of these shall be used by a not-for-profit entity or a charitable organization in food or meal distribution at no cost to an
individual.
(2) Advertising, promotion, or marketing costs incurred to make the general public
aware of the mission of Hunters for the Hungry, including the option to donate money when
purchasing a fishing or hunting license.
D. All monies used pursuant to the Hunters for the Hungry Escrow Account shall be
subject to audit by the legislative auditor.
E. At the end of each calendar year, Hunters for the Hungry shall submit to the
House Natural Resources and Environment Committee and the Senate Committee on Natural
Resources a report that at a minimum contains a detailed explanation of the revenues and
expenditures of the escrow account, as well as a description of the organization's activities
related to the account. The committee may summon any person employed by or associated
with Hunters for the Hungry to provide testimony with respect to the report.
F. The state treasurer is hereby authorized and directed to immediately upon creation
of the Hunters for the Hungry Escrow Account, transfer the balance in the Hunters for the
Hungry Account in the Conservation Fund to the department to be deposited into the Hunters
for the Hungry Escrow Account created in this Section.
Acts 2013, No. 366, §1, eff. June 1, 2014; Acts 2015, No. 271, §1; Acts 2018, No.
612, §18, eff. July 1, 2020; Acts 2019, No. 362, §§9, 10, eff. June 11, 2019; Acts 2019, No.
404, §1, eff. July 1, 2020; Acts 2020, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 10, §10, eff. July 9, 2020.
NOTE: See Acts 2018, No. 612 and Acts 2019, No. 404 providing for the
effects of the conversion of certain dedicated funds to special statutorily
dedicated fund accounts.