(a) No person other than a person furnishing information to the department that leads to the arrest and conviction of a person for committing a violation of a statute listed in Parks and Wildlife Code, §12.203, or a regulation adopted under any of those statutes may be eligible for receiving a reward.     
      (b) A person shall be eligible for receiving a reward if information required in subsection (a) of this section is forwarded to a designated office established by the department for the reporting of such information, or to a game warden employed by the department, provided the person seeking eligibility for a reward thereafter forwards the information, as soon as practicable, to the designated office established by the department for the reporting of such information.     
      (c) The designated office defined in subsection (b) of this section shall provide:      
        (1) employees on duty 24 hours a day;       
        (2) a toll-free telephone number for use by the public for reporting violations; and       
        (3) assignment of a specific operation game thief report code number for persons reporting a violation.       
      (d) A person furnishing information required by subsection (a) of this section to a game warden employed by the department, but who does not as soon as is practicable thereafter report the information to the office established by the department for the reporting of such information, may apply in writing to the committee for a reward to be paid from the Operation Game Thief Fund. The request may then be considered in the same manner as other applications for award.     
      (e) The director shall prescribe the documentation to be furnished to substantiate the information provided.     
      (f) Informants may be identified either by name, address and telephone number or may request an anonymous code number which shall be used in lieu of applicant's name in all subsequent transactions with the informant.     
     Source Note:        The provisions of this §55.113 adopted to be effective May 4, 1982, 7 TexReg 1598; amended to be effective December 29, 1997, 22 TexReg 12535; amended to be effective February 7, 2006, 31 TexReg 705; amended to be effective August 4, 2010, 35 TexReg 6671