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.