Revision: Jan. 12, 2009, midnight
HB 205-FN-A – AS INTRODUCED
2009 SESSION
03/01
HOUSE BILL 205-FN-A
AN ACT relative to certain boating fees.
SPONSORS: Rep. Drisko, Hills 5
COMMITTEE: Resources, Recreation and Development
This bill increases boating registration and license fees.
This bill is a request of the department of safety.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
09-0440
03/01
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Nine
AN ACT relative to certain boating fees.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Registration Fees. Amend RSA 270-E:5, I to read as follows:
I. The registration fees for commercial, private, and pleasure vessels, including rentals and airboats shall be as follows:
(a) Up to and including 16 feet [$12] $25
(b) 16.1 feet to 21 feet [$17] $35
(c) 21.1 feet to 30 feet [$26] $50
(d) 30.1 feet to 45 feet [$36] $70
(e) 45.1 feet and over [$46] $95
2 Lake Restoration and Preservation Fee. Amend RSA 270-E:5, II(a) to read as follows:
(a) [$5] $6 for each registration specified in paragraph I. The fees collected under this subparagraph shall be paid into the lake restoration and preservation fund established under RSA 487:25.
3 Agent Fee. Amend RSA 270-E:5, II(c) to read as follows:
(c) [$1.50] $5 for each registration processed by an authorized agent of the department who is not an employee of the department. The fees collected under this subparagraph shall be collected and retained by the authorized agent as compensation for processing the registration.
4 Transfer Fee. Amend RSA 270-E:10 to read as follows:
270-E:10 Notice of Transfer; Destruction or Abandonment. The owner shall furnish the department written notice of the transfer of all or any part of his or her interest, other than the creation of a security interest, in a vessel registered in this state pursuant to this chapter or the destruction or abandonment of such vessel within 15 days of its transfer, destruction, or abandonment. Such transfer, destruction, or abandonment shall terminate the certificate of numbers for such vessel, except that in the case of a transfer of a part interest which does not affect the owner’s rights to operate such vessel, the transfer shall not terminate the certificate of numbers. If a vessel is transferred, the original number shall be retained by the new owner. A person who transfers the ownership of a vessel, upon filing a new application, may have another boat registered in his or her name for the remainder of the period for which the vessel is registered for [$3] $5.
5 License Fees. Amend RSA 270-E:23 to read as follows:
270-E:23 License Fees. There shall be paid to the commissioner for every general certificate of captain, master, pilot, or engineer, [$4] $12; and for every limited certificate of captain, master, pilot, or engineer, [$2] $10. A general certificate shall entitle the holder thereof to act in the capacity named on any vessel of the class described in the certificate; a limited certificate shall entitle the holder to act in such capacity only on a particular vessel named in the certificate. Only one certificate shall be required to entitle the holder thereof to act in any or all of the above capacities on any motorized vessel permitted to carry a maximum of 25 persons. The fees paid for certificates issued under this section shall be deposited in the navigation safety fund established under RSA 270-E:6-a.
6 Addition to Boat Fee. Amend RSA 487:25, I to read as follows:
I. The fee of [$5] $6 collected under the provisions of RSA 270-E:5, II(a) shall be paid to the director of the division of motor vehicles. The director of the division of motor vehicles shall pay over said fee to the state treasurer who shall keep the fee in a special fund to be expended by the department of environmental services. The department shall use $.50 of the fee for lake restoration and preservation measures, exclusive of exotic aquatic weed control, [$1.50] $2.50 of the fee for the control of exotic aquatic weeds, and $3 of the fee for the milfoil and other exotic aquatic plants prevention program. The department shall deposit the $3 into a special account within the lake restoration and preservation fund which shall be used to administer the milfoil and other exotic aquatic plants prevention program. The special fund shall be nonlapsing. All funds received under this section are continually appropriated to the department for the purposes of this subdivision.
7 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
LBAO
09-0440
01/02/09
HB 205-FN-A - FISCAL NOTE
AN ACT relative to certain boating fees.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Department of Safety states this bill will increase state and local revenues by an indeterminable amount in FY 2009 and each year thereafter. This bill will have no impact on county revenues or state, county, and local expenditures.
METHODOLOGY:
The Department of Safety states this bill will increase certain boat fees, including registration, transfer, and license fees. This bill will also increase the portion of registration fees paid to the lake restoration and preservation fund, and to authorized registration agents not working directly for the Department. The Department assumes current registrations by boat type will mirror data from the most recent, FY 2006 data. The Department states total boat registration has declined since FY 2006, and estimate this bill may increase navigation safety fund revenues by $1.5 million annually. In addition, the Department estimates an increase in revenue to the DES lakes restoration fund of approximately $100,000 ($1 x 100,000 boats). The Department states the increase in agent fees would increase revenue to some local governments who are municipal agents, however, the Department cannot determine how many agents are local governments, and therefore cannot estimate the exact fiscal impact at this time. The Department states it is unable to calculate revenue impact from the $2 increase in transfer fees since it does not have information on the number of boat transfers. The Department also states it only issues captain’s licenses and estimates the $8 per license increase would increase revenue by $2,808 (351 captains’ licenses x $8 = $2,808).