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Committee advances HB 2091 to finance, establishing OHV permit fees for North Cumberland WMA
Summary
The House Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee voted 12–1 to advance House Bill 2091 as amended. The bill creates an off‑highway vehicle (OHV) permit schedule for the North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area, locks rates through 07/01/2030, and directs TWRA to collect data to assess program self‑sufficiency.
The House Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee voted to advance House Bill 2091 as amended to the finance committee, approving an off‑highway vehicle (OHV) permit fee schedule for the North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area.
Representative Powers, speaking to the committee, said the bill requires permits for OHV operators and passengers at North Cumberland, sets permit privileges and restrictions, and ‘‘locks in the rates through 07/01/2030’’ while giving the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) a four‑year window to collect ridership and operational data to determine program self‑sufficiency. The chair called the final vote; the clerk reported 12 ayes and 1 no, and the bill was advanced to finance.
Committee members raised questions about projected revenue and program oversight during the hearing. The committee cited an estimate of roughly $4,900,000 in projected revenue tied to the program. Blair Beatty of TWRA told the committee the agency plans outreach with local user groups ahead of the fee rollout and will provide more detailed ridership and vendor data to legislators upon request.
Supporters said the fees will fund trail maintenance and patrols at North Cumberland. Representative Powers said the measure is intended to ‘‘help clean up the area and help patrol it more.’’ Opponents or dissenting members were limited: committee record shows one recorded no vote but no named dissent during discussion.
The committee adopted amendment 013805 earlier in the session before advancing the bill. HB 2091 as amended will next be considered by the finance committee.
