Utah Senate approves $1 fees on off‑highway vehicles to fund Highway Patrol Aero Bureau

The Utah Senate on Day 19 approved first substitute Senate Bill 15 to add a $1 registration fee to snowmobiles and a $1 fee to all all‑terrain vehicle registrations, creating a restricted Aero Bureau account for the Utah Highway Patrol.

Senator Okerlund, sponsor of the substitute, said the additional $2 per registration (combined) will fund the Aero Bureau’s helicopter operations used for emergency responses, rescues of injured or lost outdoor users and in some cases law enforcement support. "With those additional fees, we can create the Utah Highway Patrol Aero Bureau restricted account," Okerlund said in floor remarks introducing the substitute.

Senators representing snowmobile and ATV user groups told the committee they supported the change, Okerlund said, and the amended bill was carried to the Senate floor. The body concurred with the House amendments and then voted for final passage. The roll call on final passage was recorded as 29 yea, 0 nay, 0 absent.

Other bills on the concurrence calendar were handled in the same floor session, including Senate Bill 16 (ballot proposition amendments) and Senate Bill 90 (securities fraud reporting program amendments), which were also concurred with by the Senate and returned to the House.

The new restricted Aero Bureau account is intended to cover costs associated with helicopter emergency operations; the bill’s sponsor described the program as a targeted revenue source paid by users of off‑highway vehicles rather than general funds. The bill now returns to the House for the Speaker’s signature.