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State of
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JENNIFER M. GRANHOLM governor |
DEPARTMENT
OF NATURAL RESOURCES |
K. L. COOL director |
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State of
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JENNIFER M. GRANHOLM governor |
DEPARTMENT
OF NATURAL RESOURCES |
K. L. COOL director |
BILL
NUMBER: HB 5023, AS INTRODUCED
TOPIC: Free daily Motor Vehicle
Permit for Gulf War Veterans
SPONSOR: Representative
Milosch,
CO-SPONSORS: Representatives
Garfield, McConico, Phillips,
Acciavatti, and Meyer
COMMITTEE: Conservation and Outdoor Recreation
Analysis Done:
POSITION
Oppose.
PROBLEM/BACKGROUND
N/A
DESCRIPTION OF BILL
This bill, as introduced, would provide for a free
daily motor vehicle permit for entry into any
SUMMARY OF ARGUMENTS
Pro
This
bill, if passed, would provide a financial benefit for an unknown number of
Gulf War veterans. This bill recognizes
the efforts that our military personnel have made to protect and defend our
country.
Con
There are some significant
concerns with this bill. First, the bill
does not reflect recent increases to the motor vehicle permit fees, included in
PA 170 of 2003, that are essential to meeting our Fiscal Year 2003-04 budget
obligations. This legislation also could
open the door to requests from other groups to receive the same treatment, and
the amount of lost revenue could be significant. Secondly, each of these special rates and
terms of sale needs to be administered by Parks and Recreation, which will
increase costs and decrease efficiency.
This decrease in efficiency will likely mean longer lines and longer
waits for visitors at park entrances. SB
537 has already resulted in the need for significant verification requirements
for non-resident permits and “food stamp” discounted permits in addition to the
existing requirements for sales of the “senior citizen” permit. Park visitors, waiting in line to enter the
park, will most likely experience additional delays if this legislation is
enacted.
The bill has the potential to reduce operating
revenue for the Parks and Recreation Bureau (PRB) at a time when General Fund
dollars are no longer available to support PRB programs. The logistics of implementing this program
will add complications to PRB entrance procedures by slowing visitor entry into
the parks due to the verification requirements necessary to implement the terms
and conditions identified in this bill.
An administrative system to track “free” permits would have to be
established. The bill is also silent on
the issue of the number of “free” permits that may be issued to a single,
eligible individual. For example, many
veterans camp for a number of nights in a single park. Does this legislation imply that this
individual would be exempt from the motor vehicle permit purchasing requirement
for the length of their camping stay?
FISCAL/ECONOMIC
IMPACT
Budgetary:
Budgetary implications could be significant as revenue is negatively
impacted by this bill which would further compromise PRB’s
ability to continue to provide recreational services expected by park
visitors.
Revenue:
Firm figures are not available regarding the actual
number of Gulf War veterans who would be eligible. The Parks and Recreation Bureau sells approximately 900,000 daily motor vehicle permits in a
year. If we assume that two percent of
those sales are to Gulf War veterans, that would represent a revenue loss of
over $100,000 to the Bureau.
Comments:
At a time when PRB is expected to become “self-sufficient”, this kind of
legislation impairs the ability to meet that goal.
(b) State
Budgetary:
See Department
impacts.
Revenue:
None.
Comments:
None.
Comments:
No impact.
OTHER STATE DEPARTMENTS
No
impact.
ANY OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION
None.
ADMINISTRATIVE
RULES IMPACT
None.
_______________________________
K. L. Cool
Director
_______________________________
Date
PRB/BSS
