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

[bigtex]

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.

You can park on WDFW lands for free using your WDFW pass you get when you buy your license.

ZERO hunting and fishing license money goes to DNR.

[bigtex]

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

The only Discover Pass legislation that has gotten any real attention this year is a hold over from last year. SB 5097 passed out of the Senate 48-0 and has a House hearing tomorrow. The bill allows spouses to combine their volunteer time to get a complimentary pass.

[trophyhunt]

This still alive or dead?

Dead. Never even got a hearing.

that sucks!

[Curly]

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.

 

[Special T]

We agree that the DP is theft from sportsmen, & it shouldnt be so... what many of you fail to remeber is that was the plan from the start!

[Elkaholic daWg]

We agree that the DP is theft from sportsmen, & it shouldnt be so... what many of you fail to remeber is that was the plan from the start!

Just as stealing from the stupid automobile owner is

[sakoshooter]

I'd vote for that.

[motg9_6]

my personal opinion is that we shouldnt have to have one. although im going to spend that money on tags and liscenses anyways if i get a free pass (not really free) im ok with that
it ensures that the people that are spending the money get the access were originally promised.

[bobcat]

It's too late for this year if this passes. I already spent $115. I'm not going to be spending another $200 just for a free Discover pass. I will just spend the $30 on the pass when my current one expires in September.

[bigtex]

It's too late for this year if this passes.

Won't pass. Didn't even get a committee hearing..

[washelkhunter]

Im glad it didnt make it. Now maybe we can get a bill up which makes the DP complimentary to a hunting or fishing license purchase.

[blackdog]

If the chair wouldn't hear 2199 then your idea has even less of a chance to be enacted into law.

[huntrights]

Might have been mentioned earlier: It may make more sense to issue a free Discover Pass (DP) based on a cumulative license and tag expenses versus a single transaction.

 
The DP is in place for revenue only ("Pay to Play").  If you forget to bring it with you to a location requiring a DP, you must go home to pick it up, or buy a new one.  In many cases like this, home may be a few hundred miles away, so there goes another $35 (including vendor fee) if you can find a place that sells them nearby.  The alternative is a pricey fine even though you actually have a DP.

  Get rid of the DP and figure out some other way.

Questions: What percentage of our license and tag fees actually go to the WDFW?  What percentage is going into the General Fund for discretionary government spending?  These are legitimate questions that all hunters and fishermen might be very interested in knowing the answer to.

[washelkhunter]

If the chair wouldn't hear 2199 then your idea has even less of a chance to be enacted into law.

Well excuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuse me. Guess we should'nt try anything then eh?

[bigtex]

Questions: What percentage of our license and tag fees actually go to the WDFW?  What percentage is going into the General Fund for discretionary government spending?  These are legitimate questions that all hunters and fishermen (OOPS! fisher-people, fishers, anglers, ... whatever Gov. Inslee decreed recently ... Ugh!) might be very interested in knowing the answer to.

Simple answer..100% of fish and wildlife related fees go to WDFW.

Just some history. Back when there was a Dept of Fisheries and Dept of Wildlife the DOF received general fund money and as a result fishing fees went to the general fund. DOW was funded by the wildlife fund and not general fund so wildlife fees went to the wildlife fund. When DOF and DOW merged to form WDFW there were several pieces of legislation that brought fishing fees from the general fund to the wildlife fund. The last legislation (around 2011) brought the few remaining fishing fees (clam licenses) that were still going to the general fund to the wildlife fund.

So effective a couple years ago, every dime from hunting and fishing licenses goes to the wildlife account. Per state law, wildlife account money can only be used by WDFW.