The following additional requirements apply to certifying multiyear licenses:
(a) A State fish and wildlife agency must follow the requirement at § 80.34(a) for all multiyear licenses sold before and after the date that the agency adopts the new standard, unless following the exception at paragraph (c) of this section.
(b) If an agency is using an investment, annuity, or similar method to fulfill the net-revenue requirements of the version of § 80.33 that was effective from August 31, 2011, or any prior rule that required net revenue, until September 26, 2019, the agency must discontinue that method and convert to the new standard, unless following the exception at paragraph (c) of this section.
(1) If the revenue collected at the time of sale has not been spent, the agency must begin to use the new standard by applying the total amount the agency received at the time of sale.
(2) If the revenue collected at the time of sale has been spent, the agency must apply the new standard as if it were applicable at the time of sale. For example, if a single-privilege, multiyear license sold for $100 in 2014, and the agency adopts the new standard in 2018, then 4 years have been used toward the amount received by the agency (4 years × $2 = $8) and the license holder may be counted for up to 46 more years ($100 − $8 = $92/$2 = 46).
(c) An agency may continue to follow the requirements of the version of § 80.33 that was effective from August 31, 2011, or any prior rule that required net revenue, until September 26, 2019, for those multiyear licenses that were sold before the date specified at § 80.34(b) if the agency:
(1) Notifies the Director of the agency's intention to do so;
(2) Describes how the new requirement will cause financial or operational harm to the agency when applied to licenses sold before the effective date of these regulations; and
(3) Commits to follow the current standard for those multiyear licenses sold after the date specified at § 80.34(b).
(d) A multiyear license may be valid for either a specific or indeterminate number of years, but it must be valid for at least 2 years.
(e) The agency may count the license for all certification periods for which it received the minimum required revenue, as long as the license holder meets all other requirements of this subpart. For example, an agency may count a single-privilege, multiyear license that sells for $25 for 12 certification periods. However, if the license exceeds the life expectancy or the license is valid for only 5 years, it may be counted only for the number of years it is valid.
(f) An agency may spend a multiyear license fee as soon as the agency receives it.
(g) The agency must count only the licenses that meet the minimum required revenue for the license period based on:
(1) The duration of the license in the case of a multiyear license with a specified ending date; or
(2) Whether the license holder remains alive.
(h) The agency must use and document a reasonable technique for deciding how many multiyear-license holders remain alive in the certification period. Some examples of reasonable techniques are specific identification of license holders, statistical sampling, life-expectancy tables, and mortality tables. The agency may instead use 80 years of age as a default for life expectancy.