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House approves bill letting State Parks raise boat registration fee to fund ramp repairs
Summary
The Utah House passed House Bill 225, authorizing the State Parks and Recreation Board to raise boat registration fees (from $10 toward $18) and place revenue in a restricted account to repair ramps and docks; sponsors said the change responds to decades-old fees and deteriorating launch facilities.
The Utah House approved House Bill 225 on a third-reading vote, allowing the State Parks and Recreation Board to increase boat registration fees and use revenue in a restricted account for boat-launch and docking improvements.
Representative Brent Goodfellow, sponsor of the measure, told colleagues the fee increase would fund repairs to deteriorated boat ramps and docking facilities across the state and cited Utah Lake Marina as a current project that would benefit. "There are 75,000 boats," Goodfellow said in explaining the need, and he said the fee had not been adjusted since 1987 when it was last set at $10. He described the proposed $18 cap as a tool to let the State Parks Board hold public hearings and set the precise fee level.
Representative M. Noel backed the bill on the grounds that the fee is tied to a restricted account and that users would see direct benefit from the funds through improved facilities; he noted the account is subject to appropriations oversight. In closing, Goodfellow said the existing fund surplus could cover training and infrastructure needs in the near term and urged passage.
The clerk recorded the final vote and declared the bill passed; the House referred the measure to the Senate for further consideration. The bill now moves to the upper chamber for its action.
