HB1558: relative to agent fees for fish and game licenses.

HB 1558-FN - AS INTRODUCED

2024 SESSION

24-2295

08/10

HOUSE BILL 1558-FN

AN ACT relative to agent fees for fish and game licenses.

SPONSORS: Rep. Cole, Hills. 26; Rep. Ouellet, Coos 3; Rep. A. Davis, Coos 2; Rep. Osborne, Rock. 2; Rep. C. Brown, Graf. 10

COMMITTEE: Ways and Means

ANALYSIS

This bill raises the fee collected by a fish and game agent for each type of license issued on a license form.

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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

24-2295

08/10

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Four

AN ACT relative to agent fees for fish and game licenses.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

1 Fish and Game Agent; License Fee. Amend RSA 214-A:4, I to read as follows:

I. Except where a different agent fee, or no fee, is required by law or department rule, the agent shall collect from the licensee a fee of [$1] $3 for each license type issued on a license form and shall account to the executive director for the full face value of the licenses sold. He or she shall pay to the executive director no later than the fourteenth of each month the full face value of all licenses sold up to the first of the same month and shall report the names and addresses of all persons to whom licenses have been sold and such other information as may be requested on blanks to be furnished by the executive director. All licenses sold at the department headquarters or any subagency thereof shall charge the same fee as outlined in this paragraph, and shall be credited to the fish and game fund. A registration station may charge an additional fee of up to $5 for small game and up to $10 for large game for the use of scales at the registration station. Should a hunter decline to use the scales, the additional fee shall not be charged.

2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.

LBA

24-2295

12/8/23

HB 1558-FN- FISCAL NOTE

AS INTRODUCED

AN ACT relative to agent fees for fish and game licenses.

FISCAL IMPACT: [ X ] State [ ] County [ ] Local [ ] None

Estimated State Impact - Increase / (Decrease)

FY 2024

FY 2025

FY 2026

FY 2027

Revenue

$0

Indeterminable (less than $12,000)

$12,000

$12,000

Revenue Fund(s)

Fish and Game Fund

Expenditures

$0

$50,000 - $100,000

$0

$0

Funding Source(s)

Fish and Game Fund

Appropriations

$0

$0

$0

$0

Funding Source(s)

None

• Does this bill provide sufficient funding to cover estimated expenditures? [X] No

• Does this bill authorize new positions to implement this bill? [X] N/A

METHODOLOGY:

This bill, effective July 1, 2024, will increase the license agent fee by $2, from $1 to $3, for each license type sold by a Fish and Game agent, which is retained. The Fish and Game Department estimates it could see an annual revenue increase of approximately $12,000 (6,000 licenses X $2), for license sales at its Concord headquarters. It should be noted this bill is effective July 1 and the Department's licenses are on a calendar year basis, therefore the impact in FY 2025 will be less. The Department states it could incur a one-time cost, estimated to be between $50,000 and $100,000 to update its IT systems to reflect the provisions of this bill. It is assumed this cost would be incurred in FY 2025.

AGENCIES CONTACTED:

Fish and Game Department