Bill Text: NH HB292 | 2014 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Relative to registration fees for commercial, private, and pleasure vessels.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 3-1)
Status: (Passed) 2014-07-22 - Signed by the Governor on 7/21/2014; Chapter 0231; Effective Date 1/1/2015. [HB292 Detail]
Download: New_Hampshire-2014-HB292-Introduced.html
HB 292-FN-A – AS INTRODUCED
2013 SESSION
06/03
HOUSE BILL 292-FN-A
AN ACT requiring milfoil decals on private vessels registered in other states or countries and operating on the inland waters of New Hampshire.
SPONSORS: Rep. Ahlgren, Carr 6; Rep. S. Schmidt, Carr 6; Rep. Spang, Straf 6; Sen. Bradley, Dist 3
COMMITTEE: Resources, Recreation and Development
This bill requires operators of private vessels registered in other states or countries to display a milfoil decal on such vessel in order to operate it on any of the inland waters of the state.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
13-0519
06/03
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Thirteen
AN ACT requiring milfoil decals on private vessels registered in other states or countries and operating on the inland waters of New Hampshire.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Department of Safety; Milfoil Decals. The department of safety shall design, issue, and make available a suitable decal promoting milfoil awareness to be displayed on private vessels registered out of state and operating on New Hampshire inland waters.
2 New Sections; Milfoil Decal Required. Amend RSA 270-E by inserting after section 6-a the following new sections:
270-E:6-b Milfoil Decal Required.
I. No person shall operate a private vessel registered in another state or country on any inland waters of the state unless such vessel displays a milfoil decal.
II. Milfoil decals shall be available from the department of safety and authorized agents.
III. The fee for a milfoil decal shall be $10. Each agent shall retain $1 for each decal sold by that agent. All other revenues under this paragraph shall be distributed as follows: $7.50 shall be paid into the lake restoration and preservation fund established under RSA 487:25, and the balance shall be paid into the navigation safety fund established under RSA 270-E:6-a. Milfoil decals shall expire on December 31 of each year.
270-E:6-c Penalty. Any person who operates a private vessel registered in another state or country on any inland waters of the state without displaying a milfoil decal shall be guilty of a violation and shall be assessed a fine of $50. For a first violation, the fine shall be reduced to $10 if the person submits a paid receipt for a milfoil decal within 10 days of the citation.
3 Lake Restoration and Preservation Fund. Amend RSA 487:25, I to read as follows:
I. The fee of $7.50 collected under the provisions of RSA 270-E:5, II(a) and RSA 270-E:6-b, III 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, $3 of the fee for the control of exotic aquatic weeds, and $4 of the fee for the milfoil and other exotic aquatic plants prevention program. The department shall deposit the $4 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.
3 Effective Date. This act shall take effect January 1, 2014.
LBAO
13-0519
01/15/13
HB 292-FN-A - FISCAL NOTE
AN ACT requiring milfoil decals on private vessels registered in other states or countries and operating on the inland waters of New Hampshire.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Department of Environmental Services and Department of Safety state this bill, as introduced, may increase state restricted and local revenue and expenditures by an indeterminable amount in FY 2014 and each year thereafter. There will be no impact on county revenue or expenditures.
METHODOLOGY:
The Department of Environmental Services states this bill establishes a mandatory decal promoting milfoil awareness, to be displayed on private vessels registered out of state and operating on New Hampshire inland waters. The bill proposes a $10 fee per decal, with revenue from each decal allocated as follows: $7.50 to the lake restoration and preservation fund established by RSA 487:25; $1.50 to the navigation safety fund established by RSA 270:E:6-a; and $1.00 to the agent that sold the decal (the Department of Safety or its designated entities). The Department states there is no precise census of private vessels registered out of state and operating on New Hampshire inland waters. Rough estimates from the Department of Safety, Marine Patrol, and the New Hampshire Lakes Association suggest a range of 25,000 to 45,000 out-of-state boats per year. In estimating the fiscal impact of this bill, the Department assumes 35,000 decals will be sold. Of the $7.50 per decal, the bill specifies that $0.50 will be used for lake restoration and preservation measures, $3.00 will be used for the control of exotic aquatic weeds, and $4.00 will be used to administer the milfoil and other exotic aquatic plant prevention program. The Department therefore assumes the bill will generate $262,500 (35,000 decals * $7.50) for the lake restoration and prevention fund, broken down as follows: $17,500 for lake restoration and preservation (35,000 * $0.50), $105,000 for exotic weed control (35,000 * $3.00), and $140,000 for exotic plant prevention (35,000 * $4.00). The Department states these funds are typically expended the same year they are awarded, and so expenditures will be $262,500 in FY 2014 and each year thereafter. The Department further states that because half of the funds for control and prevention have historically been granted to municipalities, municipal revenues will be $122,500 per year ($245,000 * 0.5), and municipal expenditures will likely equal the same amount as municipalities typically expend these funds the same year they are awarded.
The Department of Safety states it is unable to determine the number of out-of-state vessels operating on New Hampshire inland waters, and is therefore unable to estimate the bill’s fiscal impact. However, if the estimate of 35,000 boats assumed by the Department of Environmental Services proves accurate, $52,500 (35,000 * $1.50) will be deposited in the Department of Safety’s safety navigation fund, while $35,000 (35,000 * $1.00) will go to the Department or its designated agents that sold the decals. The Department estimates the cost of producing each decal at $0.30, in which case Department expenditures will be $10,500 (35,000 * $0.30) in FY 2014 and each year thereafter.
