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Committee votes ITL on parks‑pass pilot for recovery centers, DNCR funding concerns raised
Summary
Lawmakers voted to recommend SB450 FN "Inexpedient to Legislate," after debate about whether a pilot to provide state parks passes to recovery centers should be created by legislation or by existing DNCR procedures and grant funding; DNCR said special-use permits and grant funding may achieve the goal without statute.
The Resources, Recreation and Development committee voted to recommend SB450 FN "Inexpedient to Legislate" (ITL) following debate over whether a pilot program providing state parks passes to recovery centers and community mental health centers should be created by statute.
Representative Nab said he had spoken with the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (DNCR), which expressed concern that programs that carve out fee waivers or passes for particular populations tend to erode the agency's self-funded revenue base even if they are grant-funded. "They tend to chip away at the funding that DNCR has," Nab said, and noted DNCR can issue special-use permits for specific groups.
Representative Vale said she would vote against ITL because she viewed the pilot as an important effort to expand access to parks for the population the program would serve. Other members urged pursuing grants or agency-administered mechanisms rather than embedding the program in statute.
After discussion the clerk read a roll call on the ITL motion; the chair announced that the committee would file a minority report because the item could not be placed on the consent calendar.
What happens next: The committee recorded the vote and will forward the committee report per its rules; members urged DNCR and mental-health partners to pursue grant funding and agency options to achieve the pilot's goals without eroding DNCR's fee structure.
