Colorado Legislative Council Staff

STATE

REVISED FISCAL IMPACT

(replaces fiscal impact dated April 6, 1999)

TITLE:            CONCERNING THE FUNDING OF THE WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT PUBLIC EDUCATION ADVISORY COUNCIL, AND, IN CONNECTION THEREWITH, MAKING AN APPROPRIATION.

Summary of Legislation

            This reengrossed bill changes the name of the Wildlife Management Public Education Account to the Wildlife Management Public Education Fund, and authorizes the General Assembly to allocate moneys to the fund. The bill authorizes the Wildlife Management Public Education Advisory Council to expend moneys from the fund, subject to annual appropriation.

            The bill requires any application issued by the Division of Wildlife after January 1, 2000 for a limited hunting or fishing license to contain a checkoff option to allow applicants to donate money as a voluntary contribution to the fund to support the activities of the advisory council. The bill also requires any hunting or fishing license issued over the counter, and not requiring an application, to contain a mechanism, as soon as practicable, to allow any purchaser to donate money to the education fund. The amounts of the contributions are to be exempt from state revenue considerations for TABOR.

            The bill authorizes the division's costs to develop the checkoff option to be paid from the education fund, but limits the division's annual administration costs to no more than 25.0 percent of the amount of annual donations to the fund. The bill authorizes the council to receive regular and ongoing promotional space in any hunting or fishing license brochure or publication to solicit donations to the fund.

            The bill appropriates $100,000 from the Wildlife Cash Fund to the Department of Natural Resources for allocation to the Wildife Management Public Education Advisory Council for FY 1999-2000.

State Revenues

            Startup funding. The bill provides startup funding of $100,000 from the Wildlife Cash Fund to the Wildlife Management Public Education Fund to allow the Wildlife Management Public Education Advisory Council to implement and administer on-going public information programs during FY 1999-2000 that have been developed under current law during FY 1998-99.

            Checkoff contributions. The bill establishes a new source of state revenue in the form of a voluntary checkoff contribution to the Wildlife Management Public Education Fund. The amount of the annual checkoff revenue to the fund is based upon the following assumptions:

            •   that the applications for acquiring limited and nonresident hunting or fishing licenses issued by the division will contain a checkoff option starting January 1, 2000;

            •   the amount of the contributions will be exempt from state revenue considerations for TABOR;

            •   that applications for limited licenses and nonresident licenses for the CY 2000 hunting season will be submitted to the division by May, 2000;

            •   that the division will annually process 404,000 limited license and nonresident license applications, of which, 5.0 percent will include an average contribution of $10 for a total annual cash fund exempt revenue of $202,000 for FY 1999-2000 and FY 2000-01; and

            •   that the division will not implement a donation program for over-the-counter sales during FY 1999-2000 or FY 2000-01.

State Expenditures