AB 7 Receives 10-0 Vote and Passes

[BradWillis]

Hi,

Sorry the report is so late. I have been either at the Capitol or in meetings for the last 14 hours.

The good news is that the bill has passed out of the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee and is now headed for the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Here is the press release put out by Assemblyman Cogdill's office:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: JENNIFER TEEL
June 28, 2005 (916) 319-2025

Cogdill’s Hatchery Bill Clears Key Senate Committee
“Inland Fisheries Restoration Act of 2005” ensures adequate funding of fishery programs

(Sacramento) – Legislation by Assemblyman Dave Cogdill (R-Modesto) to ensure adequate hatchery and inland fisheries funding unanimously cleared the Senate Natural Resources Committee today on a vote of 10 to 0 and will now move to the Senate Appropriations Commitee for a vote. Assembly Bill 7, known as the Inland Fisheries Restoration Act of 2005, will dedicate 33 1/3% of the revenue from sport fishing license sales to hatcheries, fish planting facilities, wild trout restoration, and increased oversight of the programs. Cogdill has introduced similar legislation twice before, but both bills died in committee. AB 7 is the first version to reach the Senate Appropriations Committee, making it the most successful yet.
“I am very encouraged by the support for the Inland Fisheries Restoration Act of 2005,” stated Cogdill following the committee hearing. “I’ve worked with various interested parties over the past several years to develop legislation that will protect our sport fishing heritage and ensure that revenue from fishing license sales is spent appropriately. This legislation is the right thing to do and I’m hopeful that my Senate colleagues will agree and help the bill reach the Governor’s desk.”
The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) provided testimony during the hearing of the Senate Natural Resources Committee, expressing concerns that a dedication of funds to hatchery, inland fishery, and wild/Heritage trout programs could result in dramatic cutbacks to programs such as marine fishing and enforcement. Yet when questioned by the Committee Chair, Senator Sheila Kuehl, DFG representatives were unable to provide facts or figures to support these claims, causing the Chair to question the Department’s seemingly alarmist testimony. The Department representatives further intimated that they were working on a letter of opposition to the legislation.
Cogdill dismissed DFG concerns, noting that the Department has other ways of supplementing these other programs and that AB 7 would not necessitate cuts elsewhere. “We find DFGs claims to be unfounded. They have the resources but they choose not to use them on hatcheries for reasons that, quite frankly, evade me,” Cogdill stated.
“The Inland Fisheries Restoration Act of 2005 is about accountability, fiscal responsibility, and appropriate natural resource management,” said Cogdill, “But this bill is also about preserving the time honored tradition of fishing. The passage of this legislation will secure our sport fishing heritage for years to come,” said Cogdill.
In addition to authoring legislation, Cogdill had also requested a State Audit of the Department of Fish and Game’s Preservation Fund, the fund into which sport fishing license fees are deposited, to clarify concerns over decreased hatchery funding and declining production of catchable fish. The audit, which was released on June 14th, confirms that Preservation Fund support of trout hatcheries has decreased by nearly 17% over the past three budget cycles. In addition, the number of catchable fish produced by hatcheries has steadily declined, with a drop of 1.1 million catchable fish in 2004 alone.
“The audit confirms what we’ve been saying all along and clearly demonstrates why we need to dedicate a portion of sport fishing license revenue directly to hatchery and fish planting programs,” stated Cogdill. “Revenue from sport fishing licenses is going up, but production of catchable fish is down. In short, we’re asking anglers to pay more money for a lesser fishing experience. The Inland Fisheries Restoration Act would correct this situation and ensure that fishing related programs receive the funding that they deserve,” Cogdill said.
The Department of Fish and Game receives roughly $50 million in sport fishing license revenue each year. The sport fishing industry produces over $2.3 billion in retail sales, $1.2 billion in wages and salaries, 43,000 jobs, and $224 million in state taxes. In many parts of the 25th Assembly District, sport-fishing tourism provides almost the entire economic base for the community.
“The Inland Fisheries Restoration Act of 2005 is vital to protecting sport fishing in California and the rural economies that rely on it. Fishing-related programs are struggling to stay alive in the face of increased cutbacks. When people buy a fishing license, they expect that there will be plenty of fish available for them to catch. Unfortunately this isn’t always the case. My bill aims to correct that problem and ensure that fishing license funds are being spent appropriately.”
AB 7 passed the Senate Natural Resources Committee by a vote of 10 to 0. A date has not been set for a vote in the Senate Appropriations Committee. For bill text, please visitwww.leginfo.ca.gov.
Assemblyman Cogdill proudly represents part or all of the counties of Calaveras, Madera, Mariposa, Mono, Stanislaus, and Tuolumne.

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Thanks to all supporting the bill.

Brad
www.friendsofcaliforniahatcheries.org

[WreckinBall]

No need to thank us, Brad. Just keep "fighting the good fight" with everyone else in Sacto, and this one might get through without too many drastic edits or amendments. So far, so good.