We understand your concerns over license fees and your desire for a refund or credit. The bill that was passed by the Legislature last week (House Bill 5545) lowered license fees for most hunting and fishing licenses but did not contain any refund provisions for sportsmen who had bought their 2010 licenses prior to passage of the bill. As such, the DEP cannot provide a refund or credit.
I’m sure this is disappointing news. However, it is important to recognize that the actions taken this past week by the Legislature and the Governor are to the benefit of all of Connecticut’s sportsmen. Anglers and hunters from all over the state worked diligently with elected officials to find a way to roll back sportsmen fees to a reasonable level. This was a very difficult task given the economy, the state’s budget deficit, and the fact that there are so many other state programs with legitimate fiscal needs. All along, the primary concern of sportsmen was that the fees be lowered to a level that young anglers and hunters and those on a limited budget could afford.
The passage of House Bill 5545 should be viewed as a huge success. License fees which had been doubled last October were rolled back to a reasonable 35% increase. The sportsmen’s primary goal of keeping fishing and hunting affordable was achieved and will benefit all anglers and hunters for years to come. I believe this is the first time hunting and fishing license fees have ever been reduced.
One requirement that people need to understand is that any bill reducing fees had to be revenue neutral (i.e. annual revenues from the bill had to match what was projected from the higher sportsmen fees). As such, any consideration of refunds was likely to result in either higher long-term fees or failure of the legislation. Both unacceptable outcomes.
Many people have also expressed concern that revenues from the sale of fishing and hunting license fees are going to the General Fund. While this is the case, it’s important that you know that both state and federal law requires that any monies collected from the sale of fishing or hunting licenses, tags, stamps or permits come back to the agency specifically for the administration of fish and wildlife programs.
In closing, I thank you for your comments and encourage you to consider the long-term benefits of the lower fees and to recognize the outstanding efforts of the sportsmen and elected officials who have made this possible.
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