Harrisburg – Since 2004, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission has waited for the state legislature to grant a license fee increase.
Soon, the agency may be able to end the wait on its own.
House Bill 808, which gives the PFBC the ability to establish fees via regulation and not legislation, was approved by the state Senate and presented to Gov. Tom Wolf on June 29. The governor had until July 4 to sign the bill but didn’t, so it became law without his signature on July 10.
Under the new law, the agency could seek to increase the cost of a resident fishing license by no more than $3 beginning in 2022. While the agency can establish fees, the Game and Fisheries Committee in both the House and Senate can disapprove the increase via a concurrent resolution.
Michael Nerozzi, director of policy and planning with the PFBC, didn’t think the legislative oversight would be a problem.
“While they still have a say in the process, our goal is to be responsible and prudent with this authority,” he said. “We really don’t have any interest in pursuing fee adjustments larger than what we need to sustain our services.”
Although license costs will remain the same for 2021, Nerozzi anticipates across the board fee increases in 2022. In addition to a $3 maximum increase on a resident fishing license, the trout/salmon permit fee could go up by no more than $2.
“We’re looking at modest fee increases for most categories,” Nerozzi said. “After that, we’ll make smaller fee adjustments as needed, and that’s really the goal with this.”
The bill, which was introduced by state Rep. Thomas Mehaffie in March 2019, received strong support in both chambers. It was passed by the Senate with a 44-5 vote, and the House voted 157-44.
Having the ability to establish license fees would allow the PFBC to break a cycle that not only created fiscal challenges, but also hurt license sales, according to Nerozzi.
“We’re trying to get away from the current cycle where we go long periods of time without an increase, and then when the legislature grants one it has to be rather large due to the time that has passed,” he said. “We’d anticipate the new revenue from an increase, but then we’d see an 8 to 10 percent drop in people buying licenses because the increase was so large.
“This bill would allow use to regularly examine our fiscal needs and make any necessary increases in a small, gradual manner.”
The PFBC doesn’t receive any money from the state’s general fund, and 75 percent of its revenue comes from the sales of licenses and permits. The other 25 percent is derived from federal excise taxes on fishing tackle and motorboat fuel.
In addition to a final review from the Game and Fisheries Committee, any license fee increase proposed by the PFBC will be open for a 30-day public comment period and at least one public hearing.
Nerozzi was fine with the layers of transparency and stressed any fee increases would only be made on an as-needed basis.
“We’ve been working for this bill for a long time, and to see it across the finish line is the culmination of showing the legislators that we’re responsible with angler and boater dollars,” he said.
- This story originally appeared in PA Outdoor News
