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Senate Fish and Game passes amended SB165 to create $5 trail-enhancement rental fee for snowmobile and motorized equipment
Summary
The committee approved an amendment to Senate Bill 165 shifting collection of a $5 trail-enhancement rental fee to rental vendors and passed the bill as amended to the floor; the fee is intended for maintenance and repair of vehicles and trails.
The Senate Fish and Game committee voted to pass Senate Bill 165 as amended, creating a $5 trail-enhancement rental fee for snowmobile and other motorized equipment rentals and routing the fee through rental vendors to the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks for distribution to trail maintenance and vehicle-trail repair.
An unnamed committee member moved the amendment to SB165. Casey, an agency representative for the Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, described the amendment: it substitutes the renter for the person paying the $5 trail-enhancement rental fee and directs that the rental vendor would collect the fee and pay $5 to the department for each snowmobile or motorized equipment rented; the department would then distribute the trail-enhancement rental fee to be used for maintenance and repair of vehicles and trails. Casey summarized: "That fee will go to the rental vendor as opposed to the original bill which had money going to directly to the department." (paraphrased from committee remarks)
Senator Nolan and others asked procedural and fiscal questions, including whether a fiscal note accompanied the amendment. The chair and staff indicated the amendment's purpose was to ensure a clear path for transfer of funds between renter, vendor and department. The committee held a voice vote on the amendment; the amendment passed with one nay and proxies recorded for several members.
Following the amendment, the mover renewed a motion that SB165 "do pass as amended." Casey reviewed the bill for members, saying the bill "revises business fees for snowmobile and motorized equipment rentals, and it provides for the creation of a trail enhancement rental fee, and that the fee must be used for maintenance and repair of vehicles and trails." The committee voted on the bill as amended; the chair recorded one opposed and the remainder in favor, with proxies noted, and reported that Senate Bill 165 would move to the floor. The committee confirmed a carrier to the floor (Usher referenced) and adjourned.
The committee did not adopt other substantive amendments in committee beyond the fee-collection change; staff and members noted the amendment was intended to clarify the revenue flow between renter, vendor and department.
