SB 5024-S.E - DIGEST

(AS OF SENATE 2ND READING 3/14/01)

     Declares that all of the public ought to be able to enjoy public parks and parkways without any sort of fee for basic parkland access, including day use fees and daytime parking fees.  Basic parkland access fees are not conducive to maximizing public access to these lands which all members of the public have helped to pay for.  Automobile parking fees also encourage park visitors to park on neighboring land, causing disruption to citizens that are located near parks.

     Requires that the state parks and recreation commission, using its own resources and through partnerships with private and public entities shall:

     (1) Protect and preserve natural, recreational, cultural, and historical resources of significance to the state;

     (2)  Foster public enjoyment, understanding, appreciation, and safe use of these resources through education;

     (3)  Host a wide range of public recreation experiences to renew the human spirit;

     (4)  Welcome visitors from all cultural, ethnic, and social backgrounds, as well as seniors, youth, and the physically and mentally challenged;

     (5)  Provide safe, attractive, high-quality facilities and programs to those who use the state's park system; and

     (6)  Promote state and community tourism and economic vitality, and

     (7) Ensure that parks are open to all individuals, regardless of means, by not charging any sort of fee for basic parkland access including daytime parking fees, except that the commission may charge a boat moorage fee.

     Provides that, in addition to other duties the commission may from time to time impose, it is the duty of the director to, on or before December 1st of each even-numbered year, provide to the legislature a comprehensive summary report of all state parks and recreation operations to reflect the previous fiscal period.