Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

Appropriations Subcommittee on General Government & Information Technology

HB 2156

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

Brief Summary of Bill

Waives the penalty for failure to display a discover pass, vehicle access pass, or day-use permit if the individual proves that he or she owned a valid pass at the time.
Allows the court to assess administrative costs of up to $25 if the penalty is waived.

Background:

The discover pass is an annual pass that allows a vehicle to access state recreation lands owned by the State Parks and Recreation Commission (State Parks), the Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW), or the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The cost of a discover pass is $30. The cost of a day-use permit, which serves the same function as the annual pass but is only valid for one calendar day, is $10. Revenue from both passes is initially deposited in the recreation access pass account, and is then distributed to the three agencies as follows: 84% to State Parks (state parks renewal and stewardship account), 8% to DFW (state wildlife account), and 8% to DNR (park land trust revolving fund). If total revenue from the two passes exceeds $71 million in a given biennium, any revenue over that amount is distributed equally among the three agencies.

A vehicle access pass is a pass issued during the purchase of a qualifying hunting or fishing license. A vehicle access pass may be displayed instead of a discover pass or day-use permit on DFW recreation lands. A number of other exemptions exist to the discover pass or day-use permit requirement, such as camping in a state park or driving on roads operated by the DNR or the DFW.

The penalty for failing to display a valid pass on state recreation lands is $99. This penalty must be reduced to $59 if the individual provides proof of purchase of a discover pass, day-use permit, or vehicle access pass to the court within 15 days of the violation, regardless of which date the pass is purchased.

Summary of Bill:

The penalty for failure to display a discover pass, vehicle access pass, or day-use permit must be waived by the court if the individual provides proof that he or she possessed a valid pass at the time of the infraction. If the court waives this penalty, it may assess court administrative costs of up to $25.