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Fish and Game seeks authorization to invest nongame species funds; committee to clarify language
Summary
At the department’s request the committee considered Senate Bill 107, which would authorize the state treasurer to invest the nongame species special fund; Fish and Game and committee members agreed to clarify language about which federal or state monies the change would affect.
Deputy Senate Chief of Staff Grant Bossie introduced Senate Bill 107 at the request of the Fish and Game Department. The bill would authorize the state treasurer to invest funds deposited in the nongame species special fund so that interest earnings can be returned to that account.
Dan Bergeron, chief of the wildlife division for New Hampshire Fish and Game, told the committee that the fund is largely supported by private donations and that some donors want their contributions to earn interest for the nongame program. Bergeron said the treasury already generates interest on cash balances but the current statutory structure directs the interest into the broader Fish and Game Fund; SB 107 would let interest generated by the nongame account be credited back to that account to support nongame species work and leverage matching funds.
Committee questions focused on fiscal mechanics and whether the bill’s current language could be read to sweep “any federal monies” received by the department into the nongame account. Bergeron and staff said the anticipated additional interest would be modest (Fish and Game estimated roughly $30,000–$50,000) and that the bill’s wording mirrors other department accounts that already permit investment and retention of interest in the dedicated account. Committee members asked Fish and Game to provide a clearer breakdown of federal and state flows for the committee and for Finance staff.
Outcome and next steps: The committee agreed the bill addresses a narrow administration need but asked staff to refine the statutory language to clarify that only monies deposited into the nongame species account are affected (not all federal funds to the department). Senators voted to go into executive session to consider the bill; after discussion they agreed to hold the bill while a drafting clarification is prepared and to bring revised language back to the committee.
Ending: The chair asked Fish and Game and staff to provide a short written clarification of the fiscal flows and the precise statutory language elected members requested before the bill returns for a vote.
