Post by camohead on Mar 18, 2013 8:13:27 GMT -5
There have been recent movements to legislate boat registration for kayaks and canoes.
It is my understanding that the people who first put this idea forward had the best of intentions, thinking they would do great things with a "small fee" gained from the blossoming popularity of the sport and use the windfall to establish public access for boats along rivers and tributaries around the state.
There are several problems with this way of thinking. First of all there is the conservative mind set that we have very simply been taxed enough and "fee" actually means "tax" any way you dice it. If we are desirous of more access then why not allow some Capitalistic venture to spring forth to furnish that for us?
That is the Right Way? Right?
Moving on to what would happen if legislation were penned, weaving its way through the gauntlet of Committees & politicians who would love to sidetrack the money from its intended use of enhancing public access, to be eventually signed by the Governor, there would be no promise that in the next session a bill would be introduced to swipe those funds and push them into the general fund.
Remember the wildlife tags. The Bobwhite Quail Initiative Tags? Originally $35 went directly to WRD to fund sportsmen related programs or hire LEOs etc. then the General Assembly decided to raid that & took all but $10 of it into the general fund. As a result most of us no longer buy those tags. Ass CCA's GRC Committee was working on legislation to create a CCA tag that would send $35 to CRD but we dropped the plan when we saw what had occurred with the other tags.
Now I hear that there is a possibility that a legislator may try to tack an amendment for 'yak/canoe registration on to the BUI bill that the Governor is pushing through this session. With only 5 business day left in the session there is no telling what it will look like if it happens and we will have little or no time to react.
We will try to keep watch and let you know if we see it before it happens.
Of course, I don't really know how this community feels?
Are you for it?
Or against it?
It is my understanding that the people who first put this idea forward had the best of intentions, thinking they would do great things with a "small fee" gained from the blossoming popularity of the sport and use the windfall to establish public access for boats along rivers and tributaries around the state.
There are several problems with this way of thinking. First of all there is the conservative mind set that we have very simply been taxed enough and "fee" actually means "tax" any way you dice it. If we are desirous of more access then why not allow some Capitalistic venture to spring forth to furnish that for us?
That is the Right Way? Right?
Moving on to what would happen if legislation were penned, weaving its way through the gauntlet of Committees & politicians who would love to sidetrack the money from its intended use of enhancing public access, to be eventually signed by the Governor, there would be no promise that in the next session a bill would be introduced to swipe those funds and push them into the general fund.
Remember the wildlife tags. The Bobwhite Quail Initiative Tags? Originally $35 went directly to WRD to fund sportsmen related programs or hire LEOs etc. then the General Assembly decided to raid that & took all but $10 of it into the general fund. As a result most of us no longer buy those tags. Ass CCA's GRC Committee was working on legislation to create a CCA tag that would send $35 to CRD but we dropped the plan when we saw what had occurred with the other tags.
Now I hear that there is a possibility that a legislator may try to tack an amendment for 'yak/canoe registration on to the BUI bill that the Governor is pushing through this session. With only 5 business day left in the session there is no telling what it will look like if it happens and we will have little or no time to react.
We will try to keep watch and let you know if we see it before it happens.
Of course, I don't really know how this community feels?
Are you for it?
Or against it?
