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Committee moves bill repealing duplicated vessel registration and derelict vessel fund to next stage
Summary
House Bill 31 would exempt US Coast Guard–documented commercial fishing vessels with active CFEC licenses from separate DMV three‑year registration and would repeal the derelict vessel prevention program fund; the committee moved the measure out with attached fiscal notes and recommendations.
Representative Stutes introduced House Bill 31 and told the committee the measure restates language the Legislature passed last year but which was vetoed on constitutional timing grounds. The bill would remove a duplication created by 2018 legislation: it would exempt U.S. Coast Guard–documented commercial vessels that hold current Commercial Fishery Entry Commission (CFEC) licenses from an additional three‑year registration with the Division of Motor Vehicles and would repeal the derelict vessel prevention program fund, transferring any remaining balance to the general fund.
Sponsor testimony described the CFEC database as an existing, publicly accessible state-maintained source of annual license and ownership information. Representative Stutes said large fishing vessels are already subject to other oversight and that requiring duplicate DMV registrations imposes unnecessary burdens.
Agency fiscal notes and testimony identified the practical impacts of the repeal. Glenn Hite of the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission said the CFEC expects no net fiscal effect to its operations. Kathy Wallace, acting director of the Division of Motor Vehicles, told the committee there are about 4,716 qualifying vessels and the DMV would see a reduction in registration revenue of $37,728 over a three‑year registration cycle if the exemption is enacted. Aaron Timmian of the Department of Natural Resources' Division of Mining, Land and Water provided a separate note: the derelict vessel prevention program fund currently holds about $1,000,000 from a settlement and roughly $220,000 of collected fees; repeal would lapse those funds to the general fund and remove a dedicated funding source for vessel removal once regulations taking effect March 26 are implemented.
After reviewing fiscal notes and receiving committee discussion, Representative Bynum moved the committee report (34 LS0326 version A) with attached fiscal notes and recommendations. With no objections recorded, the committee moved House Bill 31 from House Finance with the accompanying materials.
Why it matters: The bill affects regulatory reporting burdens for commercial fishery participants, a small DMV revenue stream and the funding mechanism for derelict-vessel removals; DNR warned repeal would remove a dedicated fund that currently supports vessel removal activities.
