Bill Description: House Bill 456 reduces some boating fees while increasing others.

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Does it directly or indirectly create or increase any taxes, fees, or other assessments? Conversely, does it eliminate or reduce any taxes, fees, or other assessments?

House Bill 456 amends Section 67-7008A, Idaho Code, related to the fees charged to boaters to fund Idaho's invasive species registration program.

It reduces the fee for a "vessel numbered in the state of Idaho" that must be paid "prior to launch into the public waters of the state" from $10.00 to $5.00. 

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The bill also does away with the current $7.00 fee that applies to most nonmotorized vessels, as well as the requirement to obtain an invasive species sticker. Sailboats will still be required to pay a fee and obtain a sticker. This change will eliminate an estimated 110,000 registrations for small nonmotorized watercraft, such as paddleboards and canoes.

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Unfortunately, House Bill 456 does not just reduce fees. Instead, it significantly increases fees for each "vessel documented through the United States coast guard or registered or numbered outside the state of Idaho." The current $30 flat fee is increased to a base fee of $85, an increase of 183%. In addition, any such vessel "with one (1) or more ballast tanks or with a registered hull length of twenty-one (21) feet or greater" is charged an additional fee of $70 for a total fee of $155. With the two increases combined, that is an increase of $125 (417%) over the existing $30 fee for those vessels.

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