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

[deaner]

The financial impact has been released for this bill. In 2013 there were 11,131 "transactions" that met the qualifications of this bill and would receive a free Discover Pass. The total loss of revenue for this bill would be $333,930.

Parks loss of revenue $280,501
WDFW and DNR loss of revenue each $26,714

Now the impact acknowledges that there is a lot of unknowns. Such as how many of those 11,131 actually purchased a DP before, how many people didn't make a qualifying purchase in 2013 but would make one in 2014 if this bill passes and so on.

so parks loss from hunters would be $280,501           but HUNTABLE state lands total losses from hunters would be $53,428     

so unhuntable lands make over 5x as much from hunters buying discover pass for hunting purposes than huntable lands do..... wtf?

the only reason i would buy a discover pass is to park on wdfw or dnr land.  but they give all my money to parks i dont use. 

[Elkaholic daWg]

Any of those you posted in January make it?    I'm guessing not since sportsmen are low priority.

 And Yes Deaner

[Sitka_Blacktail]

The financial impact has been released for this bill. In 2013 there were 11,131 "transactions" that met the qualifications of this bill and would receive a free Discover Pass. The total loss of revenue for this bill would be $333,930.

Parks loss of revenue $280,501
WDFW and DNR loss of revenue each $26,714

Now the impact acknowledges that there is a lot of unknowns. Such as how many of those 11,131 actually purchased a DP before, how many people didn't make a qualifying purchase in 2013 but would make one in 2014 if this bill passes and so on.

so parks loss from hunters would be $280,501           but HUNTABLE state lands total losses from hunters would be $53,428     

so unhuntable lands make over 5x as much from hunters buying discover pass for hunting purposes than huntable lands do..... wtf?

the only reason i would buy a discover pass is to park on wdfw or dnr land.  but they give all my money to parks i dont use.

Good catch deaner!

[deaner]

so correct me if im wrong on this but... if i get ticketed from the dnr for parking on their land without a discover pass, all that money goes to the dnr correct?  if thats the case, i wont buy a discover pass.  screw them if they give all the money to parks which i dont use.  id rather roll the dice, hope i dont get a ticket, but know that if i DO the money will at least go where i would want it to go.

[Elkaholic daWg]

http://www.woodallscm.com/2013/09/washingtons-discover-pass-sales-increase/


Sales of the Discover Pass are picking up and that is good news for the state of Washington's financially strapped parks system.

Revenue collected in the second full year of sales was nearly $1 million higher than its inaugural year, a sign agency officials hope signals the public's growing acceptance of a program created to offset the loss of state funding through budget cuts, the Daily Herald, Everett, reported.
Overall, the state took in $32.4 million in the two-year budget cycle that ended June 30, according to a report prepared for the state Parks and Recreation Commission.

Of that total, $27.2 million went to state parks with the remainder divided evenly between the state's Department of Natural Resources and Department of Fish and Wildlife. All three agencies manage state recreation lands, which require a Discover Pass for vehicle access.

Second-year sales generated almost $16.7 million for the three agencies compared to $15.7 million in the first year. State parks' share of the additional dollars was $785,558.

[pd]

so correct me if im wrong on this but... if i get ticketed from the dnr for parking on their land without a discover pass, all that money goes to the dnr correct?  if thats the case, i wont buy a discover pass.  screw them if they give all the money to parks which i dont use.  id rather roll the dice, hope i dont get a ticket, but know that if i DO the money will at least go where i would want it to go.

Is this true?  (The amount of the ticket goes to DNR.)  If so, then I am with Deaner on this one.

$30 is trivial, so I purchase the Discover Pass.  However, as somebody (Bobcat?) earlier said, it is probably just a matter of time until this fee increases.  I already purchase the National Park card (but only for WA NPs--how does that work?), and the DP.  This is really getting crazy.

[deaner]

let the pass for parks be separate from the pass for huntable state lands.  then we will really see how things go.  if the parks still make as much money from the people who use them, then they deserve that much money.  if theyre financially unsustainable without forcing people who dont use them to buy passes to them, then screw parks.  if they cant pay for themselves turn them into state forest.  then we can hunt them, and ill gladly pay for a pass to use them.

[bigtex]

so correct me if im wrong on this but... if i get ticketed from the dnr for parking on their land without a discover pass, all that money goes to the dnr correct?  if thats the case, i wont buy a discover pass.  screw them if they give all the money to parks which i dont use.  id rather roll the dice, hope i dont get a ticket, but know that if i DO the money will at least go where i would want it to go.

The first year the fine went to the county just like all other tickets.

In 2012 the legislature changed the fine allocation. As of 2012 Discover Pass fines are split with 84% of the fine going to Parks, 8% to DNR, and 8% to WDFW.

[pd]

let the pass for parks be separate from the pass for huntable state lands.  then we will really see how things go.  if the parks still make as much money from the people who use them, then they deserve that much money.  if theyre financially unsustainable without forcing people who dont use them to buy passes to them, then screw parks.  if they cant pay for themselves turn them into state forest.  then we can hunt them, and ill gladly pay for a pass to use them.

Deaner, I don't mean to hijack this thread, however......

In Idaho, most state parks are open to hunting (I am not 100% sure, but I believe Farragut SP is the only one closed).  In WA, by state law "parks" are closed to hunting (correct me if I am wrong).

I don't advocate for hunting in camping areas of state parks, or any other place that might be dangerous.  But opening state parks (the non-developed areas) makes sense to me.

[deaner]

the whole "lets make hunters pay for parks they cant hunt in" thing... which is basically what it boils down to just pisses me off.  ill risk the ticket.

[duckmen1]

Did this complimentary pass go in affect?

[deaner]

no.  appears the state thinks the hundreds of dollars we spend (around $500 for me last year) on our tags and apps isnt enough to allow us to park on wdfw and dnr land to hunt, so they want us to have to also pay for parks.

[bobcat]

I find all this heartburn over the Discover pass silly. I don't like it either but it's only $30 per year. If you hunt DNR lands, buy a pass. If not, don't buy it. Don't we have better things to complain about?

[deaner]

its the principal of the thing.  i wouldnt complain if the money was actually going to the dnr.  i wont pay for parks.  until a couple years ago it was illegal to carry a sidearm into a state park, even with a concealed carry permit, and the only reason that changed is a federal law that was passed.

[bigtex]

until a couple years ago it was illegal to carry a sidearm into a state park, even with a concealed carry permit, and the only reason that changed is a federal law that was passed.

That's not true. You could've always carried into a WA state park. The change in federal law did nothing to effect state parks.