Revision: Feb. 24, 2011, midnight
SB 128-FN-A – AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE
02/23/11 0397s
2011 SESSION
10/09
SENATE BILL 128-FN-A
AN ACT establishing a committee to study sources of funding for the search and rescue operations of the fish and game department.
SPONSORS: Sen. D'Allesandro, Dist 20; Sen. Gallus, Dist 1; Rep. Chandler, Carr 1; Rep. Mirski, Graf 10
COMMITTEE: Energy and Natural Resources
This bill establishes a committee to study sources of funding for the search and rescue operations of the fish and game department.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
02/23/11 0397s
11-0418
10/09
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Eleven
AN ACT establishing a committee to study sources of funding for the search and rescue operations of the fish and game department.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Committee Established. There is established a committee to study sources of funding for the search and rescue operations of the fish and game department.
2 Membership and Compensation.
I. The members of the committee shall be as follows:
(a) Three members of the senate, appointed by the president of the senate.
(b) Four members of the house of representatives, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives.
II. Members of the committee shall receive mileage at the legislative rate when attending to the duties of the committee.
3 Duties. The committee shall study sources of funding for the search and rescue operations of the fish and game department, including possible assessments of fees on hikers or accommodations in addition to or in lieu of charges on fish and game registrations and licenses.
4 Chairperson; Quorum. The members of the study committee shall elect a chairperson from among the members. The first meeting of the committee shall be called by the first-named senate member. The first meeting of the committee shall be held within 45 days of the effective date of this section. Four members of the committee shall constitute a quorum.
5 Report. The committee shall report its findings and any recommendations for proposed legislation to the president of the senate, the speaker of the house of representatives, the senate clerk, the house clerk, the governor, and the state library on or before November 1, 2011.
6 Effective Date. This act shall take effect upon its passage.
LBAO
11-0418
01/04/11
SB 128-FN-A - FISCAL NOTE
AN ACT establishing a committee to study sources of funding for the search and rescue operations of the fish and game department.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department states this bill will increase state restricted revenues by $270,447 and state restricted expenditures by an indeterminable amount in FY 2012 and each year thereafter. There will be no fiscal impact on county and local revenues or expenditures.
METHODOLOGY:
This bill establishes a $3.00 hiker fee imposed on persons occupying sleeping accommodations of the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) and the Randolph Mountain Club (RMC). The bill allocates fees collected to the fish and game search and rescue fund for the purpose of supporting search and rescue operations of the Fish and Game Department.
The Fish and Game Department assumes that the fee authorized in the proposed legislation would be paid on a per night basis and not a per stay basis. The AMC reports an average number of “bed nights” of 86,785 per year while the RMC reports an average of 3,364. This results in a total of approximately 90,149 bed nights per annum or $270,447 in state restricted revenues per year (90,149 x $3.00).
The Department also notes the proposed legislation requires the AMC and RMC to provide names and addresses of lodgers when remitting the revenues derived from the fee to the Department. This will create a demand on the data entry capabilities of the Department as well as a need for data base design services from the Department of Information Technology. The Department states they are unable to determine the extent to which this requirement will increase state restricted expenditures.