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Committee advances tribal co‑management bill after debate over licensing revenue
Summary
Members forwarded H.B. 5523, on tribal co-management of wildlife and fisheries, to the floor after questioning whether licensing exemptions could reduce revenue used for wildlife management and whether federal funds would be preserved.
The Environment Committee moved H.B. 5523 — a measure to authorize tribal co‑management of wildlife and fisheries — out of committee by a motion to report JFS after discussion about licensing, revenue and federal funding.
Representative Callaghan and others asked whether the proposal would require the state to backfill revenue if tribal members received licenses at no cost. “There’s some concern about loss of revenue, which the sportsmen in Connecticut rely upon for managing wildlife,” Representative Callaghan said.
The chair asked agency staff (the transcript names Brett Bellmoner) to respond. The official said the bill, as drafted, does not waive licenses in a way that would jeopardize federal funding and discussed options such as reimbursement or other mechanisms to avoid loss of conservation funding. “There’s no waiver of licenses that would jeopardize federal funding…we don’t lose that capital money,” the agency official said.
Members pressed for clarity on whether fees would still be collected or whether the state budget would be expected to backfill lost license revenue; some said they remained concerned about equal-protection or constitutionality questions if one group were exempted from fees. The clerk recorded a roll call and the chair noted votes would remain open until 4 p.m.
What happens next: H.B. 5523 was reported JFS to the floor; committee members requested follow-up discussions with stakeholders, including sportsmen’s groups and tribal representatives, and asked staff to clarify any fiscal backfill mechanisms.
