03/05/2020 09:00 AM House FINANCE

HOUSE BILL NO. 230                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     "An  Act   repealing  the  termination  date   for  the                                                                    
     intensive management hunting license surcharge."                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
10:24:28 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  JOHN   LINCOLN,  BILL   SPONSOR,  introduced                                                                    
himself. He asked his staff  to provide a description of the                                                                    
legislation.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ELIZABETH  FERGUSON,  STAFF,  REPRESENTATIVE  JOHN  LINCOLN,                                                                    
explained  that the  one-line bill  would repeal  the sunset                                                                    
date   for   the   intensive  management   hunting   license                                                                    
surcharge.  She provided  additional detail  with a  written                                                                    
statement:                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     The surcharge  was first implemented  after legislation                                                                    
     passed in 2016  authorizing the collection for  it at a                                                                    
     rate of $10 per resident  hunting license and $30 for a                                                                    
     nonresident hunting  license. In  its three  years, the                                                                    
     surcharge has  grossed just  about $3.1  million. House                                                                    
     Bill  230 does  not  increase or  change the  surcharge                                                                    
     amount  per hunting  license, and  it  does not  change                                                                    
     policy   on  intensive   management,   it  just   funds                                                                    
     activities and  will continue  to allow  the department                                                                    
     to use much of that money for federal match.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Ms.  Ferguson  referenced two  pie  charts  in the  packets'                                                                    
showing   the  total   spending   on  intensive   management                                                                    
activities for FY  18 and FY 19 prepared by  the Division of                                                                    
Wildlife  Conservation in  the Department  of Fish  and Game                                                                    
(copy on  file). She  pointed out that  the majority  of the                                                                    
expenditures  went  toward   research  and  management.  She                                                                    
elaborated  that scientists  and researchers  determined all                                                                    
of  the factors  at  play -  each case  varied  from one  to                                                                    
another. Using the funds to  assist the data driven approach                                                                    
had  made  the program  successful.  Currently  most of  the                                                                    
surcharge  was used  for a  1:3 match  for Pittman-Robertson                                                                    
funds. The bill  had a zero fiscal note;  however, it showed                                                                    
that without  the surcharge revenue, the  Department of Fish                                                                    
and Game (DFG)  could stand to lose up to  $4 million, which                                                                    
would  make management  research,  surveying, and  inventory                                                                    
more challenging.  Section 1  of the  bill [the  bill's only                                                                    
section]  read that  the current  sunset provision  would be                                                                    
repealed with the passage of  the bill. She relayed that the                                                                    
department was online for any questions.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
10:26:53 AM                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Josephson directed  a  question  to DFG.  He                                                                    
asked for confirmation  that the federal match  could not be                                                                    
used for predator control.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
EDDIE GRASSER, DIRECTOR,  DIVISION OF WILDLIFE CONSERVATION,                                                                    
DEPARTMENT OF  FISH AND GAME (via  teleconference), answered                                                                    
in  the negative.  However, because  of constraints  federal                                                                    
land managers  had on their  land and other issues,  DFG had                                                                    
elected to never use  Pittman-Robertson dollars if possible,                                                                    
for actual predator management.                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Representative Josephson asked if  it included not using the                                                                    
funding on state lands.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Grasser agreed.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Josephson reported  that  he  had been  told                                                                    
during  the current  week by  a DFG  employee that  Pittman-                                                                    
Robertson dollars  could not be  used for  predator control.                                                                    
He stated his understanding  of Mr. Grasser's testimony that                                                                    
DFG  could use  the funds  [for predator  control], but  the                                                                    
department opted to  not use the funds for  that purpose. He                                                                    
asked  why  people kept  telling  him  incorrectly that  the                                                                    
department  could  not   use  Pittman-Robertson  dollars  on                                                                    
predator control.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Grasser replied that he  did not know. He clarified that                                                                    
there  was nothing  in the  statutory  language housing  the                                                                    
Pittman-Robertson Act that barred  the state from conducting                                                                    
predator  management  programs  with  the  use  of  Pittman-                                                                    
Robertson dollars.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
HB  230  was  HEARD  and   HELD  in  committee  for  further                                                                    
consideration.