Boat sticker fee hike clears Senate

The Senate has given final passage to HB 533, legislation raising the fee for invasive species stickers for non-motorized or out-of-state boats by $2 apiece. The non-motorized stickers would jump from $5 to $7; out-of-staters would pay $22, up from $20. “We are asking to increase the fees just a little bit,” said Sen. Tim Corder, R-Mountain Home.

Sen. Dean Mortimer, R-Idaho Falls, asked if it was true that the state hasn’t even gone through a full year with its current fees, and Corder confirmed that. The additional boost in the fees is to pay a vendor fee, Corder said. Said Mortimer, “I have objections to raising a fee when we really have no track record. … There were a lot of my constituents that were very concerned about the fee to begin with.” Corder said, “It is true, we don’t have a track record - except that we don’t have mussels.” The sticker fees help fund prevention efforts to keep invasive quagga and zebra mussels out of Idaho waterways.

Sen. Bart Davis, R-Idaho Falls, said he’s heard from local boy scouts concerned about a huge impact given the number of canoes they have at scout camp, so he voted “no.” The bill passed on a 21-14 vote, and now heads to the governor’s desk.