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Committee hears $5 boat-decal proposal to bolster dam maintenance fund
Summary
Representative Peter Leechman told the Ways and Means Committee that House Bill 629 would add $5 to boat decals to support a dam maintenance fund covering repair needs across roughly 276 state-owned dams; DES technical staff described the state’s long-term ownership and the need for multiple funding sources. The committee later recommended ITL in executive session.
Representative Peter Leechman introduced House Bill 629 at a Ways and Means Committee hearing, saying the measure flows from a multi-month study and would add $5 to the state boat decal to help fund dam maintenance.
"We need about $16 million," Leechman said, describing an inventory of roughly 276 dams and distributing a study report to committee members. He told the panel the bill cleared the Resource Committee 15–0 and passed House Finance 25–0 before a recent voice vote in the House.
Corey Clark, chief engineer of the Dam Bureau at the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, said DES does not take a position on the bill but explained how the fiscal note was drafted: revenues from the decal increase would be deposited to a dam maintenance fund and spent on repairs and capital projects. "The money that will be going into that fund will also be spent on dam maintenance," Clark said, adding that administrative and transfer processes, and year-to-year project variation, account for fiscal-note ranges.
Senators on the committee pressed for details. One asked why the fiscal note shows costs exceeding revenues despite language saying existing registration systems could implement the fee without additional state expenditures; witnesses explained some administrative costs would be handled through interagency transfers and that revenue estimates come from roughly 107,000 registered boats with an added $5 on each decal.
Witnesses from DES outlined why the state owns many dams — historic mill uses and mid-20th century transfers — and described efforts to transfer ownership when appropriate, including examples in which FEMA funding was used for reconstruction before local transfer. DES officials said long-term hydropower revenues have declined since deregulation in the 2000s and no single funding stream fully covers growing operational and capital needs.
After testimony and questions, the committee moved to executive session. In that session the panel voted to recommend Inexpedient to Legislate (ITL) on HB 629. The committee recorded the motion and adoption in executive session; the recommendation will be reflected in the committee report.
