HB 2199 Complimentary Discover Pass to Those Who Spend over $200

[Jingles]

Don't ypou already get a Wildlife access permit when you purchase a hunting / fishing license? why pay for something you already get when you make a purchase?
No make the buttholes pay that don't hunt or fish

[buckfvr]

Thats not the same permit................

[Special T]

I would bet that this is more of a attempt to increase cash flow while appearing to do something fro sportsmen. Lets look at it this way. In order for 1 person to spend $200 You have to buy the Fishing combo $54.25 $ the Big game package w/small game and waterfowl 147.70 in order to get you to get the "free" pass. In reality what does this mean?

Currently is your buy ANY fishing lic you get a VAP for wdfw lands UNLESS you use state parks for fishing your not likely to buy one. IF your a hunter and hunt lands that need the Discover pass likely you will wait until later in the year to purchase it. (I always do)

If you buy the whole Shebang the first part of the year 3/4 of the money the state gets is 6 months BEFORE you can actually use it (hunting tags etc)  Cash flow is an important part of any business especially a cash strapped one.

This also gives the Furious sportsman (like me) a way  to get a DP with out actually purchasing one... Mostly because the value of paying your $150 early is worth something to the state. 

[vandeman17]

I like the idea but not the parameters. I think if they want to use the $200 threshold it should be cumulative for the season and it should be per wild id number. I think the $200 at one time is not a good idea and really only benefits the people who have the financial ability to pay that at once and those are, in general, the people who aren't worried about spending $35 for a discover pass. Of course I am talking financially not how they feel about the validity of the DP in general. 

[akirkland]

Yes!!! It is very easy to spend well over $200 each year on your license and permits.

[vandeman17]

Yes!!! It is very easy to spend well over $200 each year on your license and permits.

It is easy but for me, and I think many others, it is broke down in smaller purchases. We wouldn't qualify with the current proposal.

[pianoman9701]

I voted yes but think it should be $150 because that's usually what I spend on the first go round.

[bigtex]

Who could possibly be against this passing?

State Parks

Good point. It is definitely going to be a loss of revenue for all agencies involved. And since State Parks gets 84% of the revenue they will be the ones that complain the most. Every time the legislature proposes an exemption (vets, disabled, etc) State Parks is there to cry. 1 or 2 WDFW Officer positions are funded by the Discover Pass 

Start citing the bird-watchers, hikers, etc.... I'm confident the increase in fines would be greater than the loss of hunting Discover Pass or are you saying basically that the hunting community supports the damn thing?

No I am not saying the hunting community supports the pass, but every exemption to the pass will result in a loss of revenue to the pass, its common sense. Every user group says that they are being unfairly targeted, you could go to the large DNR lot on Tiger Mountain and write every biker/hiker a ticket and they will say the state is unfairly targeting hikers/bikers. Go to a boat launch and it's unfairly targeting fishermen/boaters.

[huntnphool]

Who could possibly be against this passing?

State Parks

Good point. It is definitely going to be a loss of revenue for all agencies involved. And since State Parks gets 84% of the revenue they will be the ones that complain the most. Every time the legislature proposes an exemption (vets, disabled, etc) State Parks is there to cry. 1 or 2 WDFW Officer positions are funded by the Discover Pass 

Start citing the bird-watchers, hikers, etc.... I'm confident the increase in fines would be greater than the loss of hunting Discover Pass or are you saying basically that the hunting community supports the damn thing?

No I am not saying the hunting community supports the pass, but every exemption to the pass will result in a loss of revenue to the pass, its common sense.

Not necessarily BT, there are those of us that will qualify for the included DP that otherwise would not purchase one. I know a lot of people that will qualify by spending $200 that have never purchased the pass.

[washelkhunter]

The DP is just bad business. We hunters and fishers are being unjustly targeted simply because we are a captive user of a state promoted resource. We're actually being held ransom, the state is stealing from us. When all other user groups of state lands start having to drop 2 bills just to pursue their activities then we can be called even, till then no. 1 DP gratis per Wild ID number per year per purchase of "any" WDFW license. I wouldn't consider this bill as is as a favor to the sportsmen.

[bigtex]

Not necessarily BT, there are those of us that will qualify for the included DP that otherwise would not purchase one. I know a lot of people that will qualify by spending $200 that have never purchased the pass.

If you've never purchased one and this year you get a free one then yes obviously there is no revenue loss. But if you've purchased one every year and this year it's free then obviously there's a revenue loss.

[Curly]

I'm not positive about this, but I'm not sure you can buy a fishing license and your hunting licenses/tags in one transaction.  I seem to remember having to buy the fishing license separately online because it wouldn't let me do both at the same time.  Maybe going to the store, it would be one transaction. 

[bigtex]

I'm not positive about this, but I'm not sure you can buy a fishing license and your hunting licenses/tags in one transaction.  I seem to remember having to buy the fishing license separately online because it wouldn't let me do both at the same time.  Maybe going to the store, it would be one transaction. 

You can buy every license known to man at once

[washelkhunter]

I'm not positive about this, but I'm not sure you can buy a fishing license and your hunting licenses/tags in one transaction.  I seem to remember having to buy the fishing license separately online because it wouldn't let me do both at the same time.  Maybe going to the store, it would be one transaction. 

You can do it all at once online.

[huntnphool]

Not necessarily BT, there are those of us that will qualify for the included DP that otherwise would not purchase one. I know a lot of people that will qualify by spending $200 that have never purchased the pass.

If you've never purchased one and this year you get a free one then yes obviously there is no revenue loss. But if you've purchased one every year and this year it's free then obviously there's a revenue loss.

Right, my point being that you can't simply assume that each free DP issued with a $200 purchase is a net loss of previous revenues generated.