Committee advances bill to raise parks passport and fund nonmotorized trails

House Bill 57, which would expand Idaho’s Parks Passport into a Parks and Trails Passport and raise the annual resident passport from $10 to $20, was advanced to the House floor by the House Resources and Conservation Committee on a voice vote.

Representative James Petzke (R‑District 21) told the committee the bill is intended to shore up an ongoing revenue stream for the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation and establish the state's first funding mechanism for nonmotorized trail maintenance. "This legislation will allow [the Department] to fully execute on that code," Petzke said, referring to Idaho law requiring parks to plan for and maintain park facilities. He said $16 of the proposed $20 passport would go to parks maintenance and operations and $4 would be allocated to nonmotorized trails.

Petzke said the existing passport fee has not been raised in over a decade and called the proposal a user‑fee approach so the people who use the system help fund it rather than placing the full burden on general taxpayers.

Why it matters

Supporters and Parks Department allies told the committee that Idaho's trail and parks infrastructure face growing…