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AP: Seniors may have to pay state park fees
Published 1/7/2012 in News
TOPEKA (AP) — Hunting, fishing and enjoying state parks might cost senior citizens more if the Legislature approves a request from the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism to end special fees and exemptions for residents 65 years and older.
For decades, Kansas' senior citizens have not had to pay an annual $18 fee for fishing or hunting licenses. They also have received reduced rates or exemptions for state park fees.
Chris Tymeson, an attorney for the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism Commission, said Thursday that the agency will ask the Legislature to remove the exemptions, The Wichita Eagle reported. Those currently exempt would not be grandfathered in but exemptions and reduced rates for landowners would continue.
Tymeson said the exemptions are costing the agency revenue because the average age of hunters and anglers in Kansas continues to increase.
If the Legislature approves the request, the additional revenue would not only help fund the agency but also help the agency qualify for more funding from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Federal excise taxes are charged when most hunting, shooting and fishing equipment are sold, with the funds distributed to states based on the number of hunting and fishing licenses they issue. The federal funds are often given on a matching basis of about 3 to 1.
Mike Miller, a spokesman for the agency, said it's difficult to track the number of people who are exempt from the licensing fees but said that since 2006 the number of Kansans 65 or older purchasing deer permits has increased 25 percent.
Tymeson said the agency also will ask the Legislature to approve an annual "Kansas Park Passport" to be sold to residents when they renew their vehicle permits. The passes would be optional and valid until the vehicle's permit is renewed the following year.
In the past, Robin Jennison, the department's secretary, said that if 10 percent of Kansans purchased the passes, it could double park income, the Eagle reported.
Tymeson said the agency would like the state park changes to begin as early as July 1. The removal of exemptions for hunting and fishing licenses would begin in 2013.
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