Committee advances bill to raise nonresident fishing fees; agency says increases would bolster department revenue

The Travel, Recreation, Wildlife & Cultural Resources Committee advanced House Bill 204, a companion bill to HB5, to increase nonresident fishing license fees. Committee members said the modest increase aligns Wyoming with neighboring states and will generate additional revenue for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, which the agency says is funded almost entirely by hunting and angling license revenue rather than general funds.

Under the bill language discussed in committee, nonresident 12‑month fishing licenses would be adjusted (the bringer proposed a 10 percent increase in the meeting discussion), the five‑day nonresident license and the daily nonresident fishing license would be increased by a comparable percentage. Committee discussion included comparative fees in neighboring states and the department’s sales figures.

Sales and fiscal context

Agency figures presented in committee show 2024 sales of 159,556 nonresident daily fishing licenses, 25,690 nonresident five‑day licenses and 22,504 nonresident annual licenses. Department staff and Director Angie Bruce told the committee that hunting and angling dollars fund the department’s operations and that a five‑year average revenue increase from the proposed fee changes would be roughly $700,000 per year.

Public comment and support

Conservation groups and outdoor organizations spoke in favor. Jess Johnson of the Wyoming Wildlife Federation said the federation “very much support[s]” the increase; Josh Benton of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership also supported the proposal. Industry witnesses who guide and sell trips in Casper said the increases are reasonable and that their clients would absorb modest permit or license fee changes as part of overall trip costs.

Vote and next steps

Representative Provenza moved the bill out of committee; Representative Storer seconded. A roll‑call vote recorded nine ayes (Representative Campbell, Representative Connolly, Representative Harshman, Representative Jarvis, Representative Provenza, Representative Storer, Representative Thayer, Representative Wharf, and Chairman Byron) and no recorded opposition; the bill advanced.

The committee also approved a technical amendment to change the term “annual” to a 12‑month license period and considered, but did not adopt, proposals to raise the daily nonresident fee to higher amounts. The department will work with committee staff on the fiscal note and implementation details as the bill proceeds to the floor.

Ending

With committee adoption, HB204 will move forward for further consideration; department officials said the revenue increase would help the Game and Fish Department maintain fisheries and enforcement without general‑fund support.