An Act to amend 27.01 (9) (bn) (title); to create 27.01 (9) (bg) of the statutes; Relating to: fee waivers for state park vehicle admission receipts to pupils with Every Kid Outdoors passes. (FE)
Summary
AB18 would require the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to waive the annual vehicle admission receipt fee, including the issuing fee, for a Wisconsin-registered vehicle owned by a parent or guardian of a child who has a valid U.S. National Park Service Every Kid Outdoors pass. The waiver would apply to vehicles used to access state parks and certain other recreational areas on state land, and it would exclude motor buses. In practical terms, the bill ties a state park vehicle admission benefit to a federal program that provides free national park access to fourth graders and their families.
The bill amends Wisconsin Statutes section 27.01 by creating a new fee-waiver provision and updating the title of an existing subsection that already covers fee waivers for service members. It would change state law by adding a new category of eligible recipients for a free annual vehicle admission receipt, thereby reducing the cost of state park access for qualifying families. The bill also has a fiscal impact because the state would forgo fee revenue from the waived admissions receipts.
Impact
AB18 would alter Wisconsin’s park admission fee structure by mandating a waiver of the annual vehicle admission receipt fee for qualifying parents or guardians of children with Every Kid Outdoors passes. This would directly affect the Department of Natural Resources’ administration of state park vehicle admission receipts and would reduce revenue collected under section 27.01(7). The practical beneficiaries would be Wisconsin families with eligible fourth-grade children, while the state would absorb the associated lost fee revenue.
Sentiment
The available record suggests the bill was introduced as a family- and access-oriented measure, with bipartisan sponsorship indicating broad initial support for expanding outdoor recreation access. No committee transcript or vote record is available here, so there is no documented floor debate or recorded opposition in the provided materials. The bill ultimately failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1, indicating it did not advance through the legislative process despite its supportive framing.
Contention
The main policy issue is the tradeoff between expanding access to state parks for families with fourth graders and the loss of fee revenue to the state. Another possible point of discussion is whether linking a state benefit to a federal pass program is the best or fairest way to target relief, since eligibility would depend on possession of the Every Kid Outdoors pass and ownership of a Wisconsin-registered vehicle. No specific objections are documented in the provided materials, but the fiscal effect and the scope of eligibility would be the most likely areas of contention.
Crossfiled
An Act to amend 27.01 (9) (bn) (title); to create 27.01 (9) (bg) of the statutes; Relating to: fee waivers for state park vehicle admission receipts to pupils with Every Kid Outdoors passes. (FE)