Committee hears bill to let DNR, Fish and Wildlife use ATV safety fund for green-dot road maintenance

House Transportation Committee members held a public hearing Jan. 29 on House Bill 1537, which would expand eligible uses of the Multi-Use Roadway Safety Account (MRSA) and allow interagency transfers from the account to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW).

The bill matters because the MRSA is funded by a $12 registration fee paid by owners of wheeled all-terrain vehicles licensed for on-road use; supporters say redirecting some funds to DNR and DFW would provide maintenance for a network of "green dot" roads that currently lack sustained funding. Mark Mattson, staff to the committee, said, "When these vehicles are registered, the owner must pay a $12 fee, the fee is deposited into the multi use roadway safety account."

Supporters — including DNR and DFW staff and county officials — told the committee the change could fix long-standing maintenance shortfalls on co-managed green dot roads. Bridal Koval, recreation policy manager at the Department of Natural Resources, said the bill "seeks to better utilize funds in this account by allowing DNR and DFW to receive direct transfers from WSDOT to conduct maintenance and guidance work on green dot roads." Ted Jackson, a longtime motorized-recreation stakeholder, said a prior Department of Licensing count showed "over 64,000 WATV registrations statewide," and that demand for maintained routes has grown.

Under the draft language discussed in committee, transfers to DNR or DFW would be allowed only in the second year of the biennium and would not be permitted to draw the MRSA below a set minimum. Koval told the committee the bill would require a county letter of support before an interagency transfer could proceed; she also said the green dot network spans roughly 800 miles, about 475 miles of which are on DNR-managed land. Cynthia Wilkerson, deputy director for the Wildlife Program at Washington DFW, told the committee that even modest additional funding could prevent further loss of public access, reduce natural-resource damage and help keep routes usable for emergency response.

Committee staff said the current appropriation for MRSA grant activity in the budget is roughly $120,000 and that to date no local grant applications have been received; they also said a fiscal note had been requested but was not yet available. Supporters recommended the bill as a way to use an underutilized dedicated account to meet maintenance needs while preserving local grant opportunities.

The record for the bill includes testimony from county officials, DNR and DFW staff, and motorized-recreation advocates. No formal committee vote on HB 1537 was recorded at the Jan. 29 hearing; the item was taken as a public hearing and closed after testimony.