Legislature(2023 - 2024)GRUENBERG 120
04/02/2024 10:00 AM House FISHERIES
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Audio | Topic |
---|---|
Start | |
HB297 | |
HB294 | |
HB195 | |
Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+= | HB 195 | TELECONFERENCED | |
*+ | HB 297 | TELECONFERENCED | |
*+ | HB 294 | TELECONFERENCED | |
+ | TELECONFERENCED |
HB 297-SPORT FISHING ANGLER ACCESS ACCT/SURCHARG 10:04:07 AM CHAIR VANCE announced that the first order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 297, "An Act establishing the sport fishing angler access account; establishing the sport fishing angler access surcharge; and providing for an effective date." 10:04:24 AM DOUG VINCENT-LANG, Commissioner, Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), on behalf of House Rules by request of the governor, introduced HB 297. He stated that the proposed legislation would establish a surcharge on sport fishing licenses for funds to go toward nonboating angler access. He explained the importance of access for Alaskans, stating that this surcharge would enable the department to fund services for anglers, including construction and maintenance of trails. He explained in detail why the proposed legislation would be necessary. He stated that the bill would create parity in angler access to fishing resources between shore access and motorized access. 10:07:21 AM JOE FELKL, Legislative Liaison, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, on behalf of House Rules by request of the governor, paraphrased the sectional analysis on HB 297 [copy included in the committee packet], which read as follows [original punctuation provided]: Section 1: amends Fish and Game Fund statutes by adding a new subsection creating a subaccount for the sport fishing angler access surcharge, referred to as the Sport Fishing Angler Access Account. Section 2: conforming amendment to the Fish and Game license, permit, and tag fees statute that authorizes the Commissioner of Fish and Game to provide residents of the Yukon with nonresident sport fishing licenses and tags for the same fee as a resident license. Section 3: amends Fish and Game license, permit, and tag fees statute to add a new subsection (l), creating the angler access surcharge. Section 4: transition section to allow the Department of Fish and Game to adopt regulations necessary to implement the bill. Section 5: immediate effective date for section 4. Section 6: effective date of January 1, 2025, for all other provisions of the bill MR. FELKL discussed the fiscal impact of the proposed legislation. He stated that by using a 5-year average of licensing sales, deducting 10 percent for the vendor commissions, the surcharge is estimated to be $4.1 million annually. He stated that these funds will be deposited into the new angler-access sport fishing account, and there would be no added cost to the department. He asserted that this would allow nonboating angler-access projects not to compete with other work of the Division of Sport Fish. He noted that the user groups support a user-pay system. 10:10:16 AM COMMISSIONER VINCENT-LANG gave the example of the Homer Spit access project. He noted that across the state boardwalks, fishing piers, canoe access, and kayak access would be added, along with guide and map publications of the nonboating access. He stated that this would provide legal access into areas that cannot support boating access. 10:11:20 AM CHAIR VANCE questioned what the current license fees are and what the proposed change would be. She questioned whether the different fees would be impacted equally. MR. FELKL responded that the proposed surcharge differs depending on the license type. For resident licenses, the surcharge amount would be $4, and a nonresident surcharge would be anywhere from $4 to $40. 10:12:36 AM REPRESENTATIVE HIMSCHOOT questioned how the collected funds would be distributed among projects. COMMISSIONER VINCENT-LANG answered that ADF&G would use a similar model to the current boating-access model to distribute funds. He noted that there would be a call for public proposals, and a five-year plan would be created to fund the projects. In response to a follow-up question, he explained that distributing the money proportionately would be difficult, as tracking the money would be hard. He emphasized that ADF&G would not short sight Southeast Alaska, as many lakes in the area need access. In response, he said that ADF&G could provide funding for increased opportunities for subsistence users as long as there was a sport fishery part of the funding package. 10:14:32 AM REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE asked if the recent $5 increase in bison tags has proven beneficial for the state. He postulated that in the future some areas may not agree that the sport fish funding was spent appropriately. COMMISSIONER VINCENT-LANG responded that the proposed surcharge to license fees in HB 297 would be modeled after the surcharge to build fish hatcheries, and these sport fish funds would go into a subaccount. He expressed confidence that this process would not bring about any disagreements because of the subaccount. REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE asked if there was a ranking system in place to choose which projects to fund first. MR. FELKL answered that ADF&G prioritizes projects around the state based on need first, and then on the available funding. 10:17:04 AM REPRESENTATIVE CARPENTER asked why ADF&G's cost estimate in the fiscal note does not include a dollar figure for future maintenance of the projects. COMMISSIONER VINCENT-LANG answered that the cost estimate of HB 297 is modeled after a recent boating-access project, where partners take over the maintenance after the projects are constructed. MR. FELKL added that the fiscal note relates to financial impacts directly from HB 297 and explained that the proposed legislation creates a surcharge, and it does not account for any future or proposed projects. He noted that coming up with the cost to maintain the projects would be challenging. REPRESENTATIVE CARPENTER commented that it is always difficult to estimate the cost of future projects and said that it is the responsibility of the legislature to ensure tax dollars are being spent responsibly. COMMISSIONER VINCENT-LANG expressed agreement with the comment. He reiterated that this would be modeled after the boating- access project. He expressed the hope that partners would help with the maintenance. 10:19:33 AM CHAIR VANCE asked Commissioner Vincent-Lang about the timelines of any potential projects. COMMISSIONER VINCENT-LANG gave his understanding that ADF&G could complete most of the proposed projects in a year or two once the funding becomes available. MR. FELKL added that the timelines for each individual project would be on a case-by-case basis and offered to follow up with an answer. 10:20:12 AM REPRESENTATIVE CARPENTER asked if there is a list of angler- access projects currently waiting funding. MR. FELKL answered that there was a list provided to the committee prior to the meeting. 10:20:52 AM The committee took an at-ease from 10:20 a.m. to 10:24 a.m. 10:24:18 AM REPRESENTATIVE MCCABE asked for clarification regarding the nonresident surcharge. COMMISSIONER VINCENT-LANG answered that the surcharge would be about a third of the fish hatchery surcharge. CHAIR VANCE requested a full price list of the licenses so the full impact to anglers could be seen. 10:26:38 AM REPRESENTATIVE CARPENTER asked if private employers or state employees would complete projects funded by grants. COMMISSIONER VINCENT-LANG responded that there would be a combination of the two in any given project. He discussed this further. 10:27:13 AM CHAIR VANCE announced that HB 297 was held over.