Post by greghopper on Mar 14, 2017 17:13:35 GMT -5
Niki Kelly | The Journal Gazette
www.journalgazette.net/news/local/indiana/Bill-would-raise-some-state-DNR-fees-18245923
INDIANAPOLIS - Some fees imposed by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources could rise under a bill approved by a Senate panel Monday.
House Bill 1415 also clarifies new rules on what high-powered rifles can be used during deer hunting season.
It passed unanimously and now moves to the full Senate.
The bill reclassified more than a dozen commercial fees as "minimum fees" and gave the appointed Natural Resources Commission permission to raise them.
Sam Hyer, of the agency, said many other fees - including recreational hunting and fishing licenses - are already handled this way.
He said some of the fees in question haven't been raised since the 1960s.
For instance, the commercial fishing fee is now only $4 compared to $17 for recreational fishing.
Other fees that could be affected include fur buyer, bait dealer, fish stocking, ditch reconstruction and falconry.
"We're just trying to keep up with the cost of doing business," Hyer said.
Another section of the legislation tries to clarify the type of rifle that can be used in deer hunting.
Shelbyville Rep. Sean Eberhart said last year's bill had a list of rifle calibers that would be legal but the list was incomplete and confusing for many hunters.
House Bill 1415 says:
- the rifle must have a barrel length of at least 16 inches.
- the rifle must be chambered for a cartridge that is .243 of an inch in diameter or larger.
- the rifle must fire a cartridge that has a minimum case length of 1.16 inches.
The second section regarding cartridge size is the provision that has been simplified under the new legislation.
Barbara Simpson, of the Indiana Wildlife Federation, testified that she believes the law needs to have an upper limit on the rifles and caliber that can be used.
"I don't think it should be open-ended with anything goes," she said. "It's a public safety issue."
But Eberhart noted there weren't any injuries related to the new rifle rules during the most recent hunting season.
He also said there are no limits on what kind of caliber can be used on a nuisance animal - for instance a coyote or a squirrel.
Members of the Senate Natural Resources Committee also removed part of the bill that would have given discounted licenses to any veteran rated with any disability.
The fiscal impact would have been lost revenue for the Division of Fish and Wildlife of $318,000. It also would have cost the state about the same in federal dollars because when a state offers a free or heavily discounted license it affects their eligibility to receive matching funds.
The overall loss to the state under the provision would have been $635,000.
The language was placed in the bill by a Democrat on second reading in the House.
