Fish & Game Commission appeals to lawmakers to pass their ‘price lock’ bill without additional mandates

Idaho’s Fish & Game Commission is urging lawmakers to approve their long-pressed “price lock” fee legislation – HB 32, which has been held in the House Resources Committee since early in the session – without imposing unwanted new mandates to allow private sales of certain big game tags to the highest bidder. The “price lock” bill would increase resident fees for Idaho hunting and fishing licenses to raise badly needed revenue for Fish & Game, but would allow loyal buyers, who buy them every year, to “lock in” current rates and avoid the increase.

Fish & Game proposed similar legislation last year, but it was held in committee by then-Senate Resources Chairman Monty Pearce, R-New Plymouth. He was defeated in last May’s GOP primary. This year, new House Resources Chairman Dell Raybould, R-Rexburg, has been holding the bill, though he’s said repeatedly that it’s not dead and he was just awaiting more information. You can read the Fish & Game Commission’s full op-ed piece here .