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Committee adopts amendments to seafood tax-sharing bill to help local fishing communities and limit reporting burden
Summary
Senate Bill 135 was advanced out of committee as amended after members adopted three amendments: a 10% community allocation for fisheries-support uses, clarification to allow non-harbor communities to spend funds on other community needs, and a reporting exemption threshold adjusted to $10,000 to reduce burdens on small recipients.
Senate Bill 135, a bill changing the distribution of certain seafood-related tax revenues, was reported out of the Senate Resources Committee as amended on April 11, 2025.
Sponsor staff and committee members described three adopted amendments. Amendment A1 (offered by Senator Hughes) creates an intent that 10% of the community share be used to support or enhance commercial fishing activities; Senator Hughes said the change "attempts to" honor the seafood industry's request for community support. Senator Dunbar, supporting A1, said the language was written broadly to allow inland communities to use the funds for relevant local projects and noted that the 10% amount equates to 6% of total tax revenue under the bill's current split.
Amendment A2 (moved by Senator Dunbar) clarified that the statutory intent language about spending on harbor facilities applies where a community operates a harbor; if a recipient community does not operate a harbor facility, the amendment allows them to spend the funds on other local needs.
Amendment A3 addressed reporting burdens. Senator Dunbar asked to change report-exemption language so that a community would not be required to file the new report if the total tax revenue it receives under the provision is less than $10,000 (the sponsor had originally proposed a $1,000 threshold in drafting). Dunbar explained the change was to avoid imposing reporting costs on communities that receive very small amounts ("we heard as low as $300 they might receive"). The amendment was drafted with legislative legal and accepted by the committee as amended.
Tim Lampkin, staff to Senator Stevens and the seafood industry task force, said he "has no objection" to the amendments. With no further public testimony, Senator Wilikowski moved to report SB135 (work order 34-LS-0786\A) as amended; the motion carried without objection. The committee record notes members will sign transmittal documents later.
