Ga Legislators preparing to steal from hunter's and fishermen's wallets

From today's AJC.... (actually about 2 weeks ago, this was copied from a post on NGTO)

Georgia wildlife officials could raise millions of dollars each year to hire additional rangers and make other improvements if they charged more for hunting and fishing licenses and stopped offering free lifetime licenses to senior citizens, a new state analysis says.


The fees, which start at $17 annually for a basic fish and hunt license, have not increased since 1992 and are substantially lower than fees charged by other Southeastern states, according to the analysis. South Carolina, with the second-lowest fee of the region’s six states, charges $22 for a comparable license. Florida charges $32.50.


State auditors said the state Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division could bring in $4.4 million to $6.7 million more annually if it bumped up fees to the average charged in the Southeast.


And it could qualify for additional federal grant money — eventually as much as $5 million more annually — if it charged a nominal fee to older residents who under state rules currently qualify for a free lifetime license, according to the analysis. That estimate is based on the assumption that wildlife officials would peg the cost at a $55 lifetime fee for senior licenses.


Both Gov. Nathan Deal and state lawmakers — who considered the issue earlier this year but took no action — have expressed support for the concept, said Senate Natural Resources and the Environment Chairman Frank Ginn, R-Danielsville.


Any fee increase needs sign-off from the Georgia Legislature, and Ginn said it just comes down to how to work out details. The Senate, for instance, hopes to spur annual renewals by promising not to raise prices for anyone who takes out a license every year.


“I’m not sure what the appetite of the Legislature will be this coming session,” said Ginn, who supports the fee increase. “But the whole idea is the money that’s raised by fees going to improve what we’re doing with the wildlife management areas and how the public can access them.”


The agency agreed with the findings, which came as auditors also said it needed to update operating policies, overhaul its long-range planning efforts and build a better platform to deliver information to both employees and customers. Recommendations included a website update with mobile capability (which the agency has planned for 2017) and clearing a backlog of undone land management reviews for properties that have been under the agency’s care for decades.


The state requires hunters and anglers to have a license unless they are hunting or fishing on property owned by them or an immediate family member. In fiscal 2015 alone, there were about 395,000 paid hunting license holders and 646,000 paid fishing license holders statewide.


License fee revenue alone totaled $15.1 million of the agency’s budget that year. Those fees and federal grants accounted for nearly 70 percent of the Wildlife Resources Division’s budget, according to the analysis.


The public, including hunting and fishing groups, has been largely supportive, according to a state survey. Many hunters and anglers have also noted a need for better services and accessibility in the wildlife management areas controlled by the agency.


Reggie Dickey, the president of the 5,000-member Georgia Hunting and Fishing Federation, said his members back the increases “under certain conditions” that include adding to the number of access roads in the wildlife management areas and, more importantly to his members, hiring more rangers.


“We’d support the license increase as long as the money is going straight to DNR and that the money will go to place a wildlife ranger in every county,” Dickey said.


It is not a given that increased fees would go for additional rangers or other improvements, no matter the intent of current lawmakers.



Legislators have frequently approved fees over the years but not fully allocated what was taken in for the purpose stated when the fees were approved.


Bills to stop such diversions have failed several times in the General Assembly, including earlier this year.


Wes Robinson, a DNR spokesman, said the agency is working on drafting legislation for the upcoming session, which starts Jan. 9, that would increase the fees in line with neighboring states and simplify and reduce the number of licenses required to hunt and fish in Georgia.


Robinson said the agency understands the concerns of Dickey’s members. There are currently 47 counties without an assigned ranger, Robinson said, “and we anticipate being able to fund the hiring of roughly 40 new rangers.”


“We will be able to significantly increase the opportunity for quality hunting and fishing in Georgia,” Robinson added. “This includes improved wildlife habitat, more access to our properties, more public shooting ranges, more boat ramps for improved saltwater and freshwater access, and a step closer toward having a conservation ranger located in every county.”



Full article (you must be registered...)
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/state...nting-f/ntDBT/

Click to expand...