HOUSE COMMITTEE ON

AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES

April 01, 2003 Hearing Room D

1:00 PM Tapes 52 - 54

MEMBERS PRESENT: Rep. Jeff Kropf, Chair

Rep. George Gilman, Vice-Chair

Rep. Kelley Wirth, Vice-Chair

Rep. Terry Beyer

Rep. Dave Hunt

Rep. Donna Nelson

Rep. Patti Smith

STAFF PRESENT: Ray Kelly, Committee Administrator

David Peffley, Committee Assistant

MEASURES HEARD: HB 3232 - Public Hearing and Work Session

HB 3252 – Public Hearing

HB 2957 – Public Hearing

These minutes are in compliance with Senate and House Rules. Only text enclosed in quotation marks reports a speaker’s exact words. For complete contents, please refer to the tapes.

TAPE/#	Speaker	Comments
TAPE 52, A
OO4	Chair Kropf	Calls the meeting to order at 1:36. Announces that Vice-Chair Wirth will serve as the Chair for the day.
022	Vice-Chair Wirth	Opens a public hearing on HB 3232.
HB 3232 – PUBLIC HEARING
030	Senator Harper	Announces support for HB 3232.
040	Representative Alan Brown	Co-sponsor, announces support for HB 3232. States that this bill would create a great deal of needed revenue.
054	Chair Kropf	Asks how much the current raffle is producing.
057	Rep. Brown	Responds that he doesn’t know the figures involved.
084	Al Elkins	Submits (EXHIBIT A) and testifies in support of HB 3232 as the funding is vital and this program would continue such funding.
100	Ron Anglin	Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW). Submits (EXHIBIT B) and testifies in support of HB 3232, as this program has generated over $1 million and will continue to generate a great deal of revenue.
168	Rep. Nelson	Asks about the population for both mountain goats and antelope.
173	Anglin	Responds with the present populations.
177	Rep. Beyer	Asks how much it generally costs to enter the raffle.
181	Anglin	Responds that raffles for bighorn sheep vary and that antelope raffles go for $5.
189	Rep. Beyer	Asks how much they anticipate charging for the two new species.
191	Anglin	States that the commission has yet to discuss the prices.
205	Rep. Beyer	Asks about fiscal impact.
208	Anglin	States that he’ll have to get back with the committee.
212	Chair Kropf	Asks how the revenue will be used.
215	Anglin	Responds to the direction of the dedication of dollars.
229	Chair Kropf	Asks about FTE.
233	Anglin	States that they would not need any additional personnel.
238	Rep. Nelson	Asks how the auctions are handled.
241	Anglin	Speaks to the process of the auction.
271	Jerod Broadfoot	Safari Club International. Affirms support for HB 3232. Notes that hunters are stepping forward to pay their share for wildlife management.
315	Vice-Chair Wirth	Closes the public hearing on HB 3232 and opens a public hearing on HB 3252.
HB 3252 – PUBLIC HEARING
326	Ray Kelly	Summarizes HB 3252.
341	Rep. Nelson	Submits (EXHIBIT C) and testifies in support of her bill, HB 3252, in that it is a viable source of revenue and also accomplishes a myriad of important objectives.
444	Vice-Chair Wirth	Asks Rep. Nelson’s opinion about the passage of fee bills in general.
TAPE 53, A
005	Rep. Nelson	States that she never signed a pledge that she wouldn’t vote for fee bills.
014	Rep. Hunt	Asks how Rep. Nelson arrived at the proposed fee numbers.
019	Rep. Nelson	States that she didn’t want to further restrain the citizens of Oregon and that’s why the figure is so low.
026	Rep. Hunt	Asks about the non-resident fees.
031	Rep. Nelson	States that she doesn’t want to discourage out of state residents.
041	Shirley Lauviolette	Nehalem Bay Fisher. Submits (EXHIBIT D) and testifies against HB 3252. Asks whether a study was conducted on the effects on local businesses which may be affected by this bill.
250	Rep. Nelson	Clarifies the differences between this bill and that put forth by Senators Dukes and Beyer. Asks Laurolette about the surcharges.
271	Lauviolette	States her understanding of the surcharges.
281	Rep. Nelson	Asks if the vendors keep revenue for selling the licenses.
288	Lauviolette	States that they do keep $1.50 for each license they sell.
293	Rep. Nelson	Asks what Laurolette needs to make this bill so that it wouldn’t affect their business adversely.
295	Lauviolette	Talks about seasonal differences in the money taken.
320	Rep. Nelson	Asks what would make this viable for her business.
326	Lauviolette	States that it wouldn’t make up for the lost revenue. Affirms that HB 3252 might be an acceptable concept for clams, but definitely not for crabs, due in part to unenforceability.
353	Rep. Nelson	States that the same would hold true for fishing licenses.
365	Lauviolette	Asserts that the situation would be different, that confusion would ensue.
376	Brendan McCarthy	Addresses the issue of the surcharge and the agent fee as stated in the statutes.
422	Rep. Nelson	Asks McCarthy to elaborate on the agent fee.
426	McCarthy	States that the fee is in the statute, but not in the proposed legislation.
448	Rep. Nelson	Asks how much the agent fee would be.
450	McCarthy	Asserts that he believes that it’s $1.50.
TAPE 52, B
002	Kay Brown	Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW). Affirms that the fee would be $1.50.
010	Rep. Nelson	Asks how much the seller of the license is allowed to keep.
013	Brown	States that she can’t recall.
016	Rep. Nelson	Questions the fiscal assessment on the staff measure summary.
020	Ray Kelly	Testifies as to the fiscal impact of the bill.
041	Ruth Agresti	Walla Walla, Washington, marina owner. Testifies that they would not come to Oregon to hunt crabs if they had to pay a fee. States that a fee would negatively impact local businesses.
087	Rep. Nelson	Asks what a crab ring costs.
092	Ron Agresti	States that it costs $6 and might possibly come with a $2 rebate. Reaffirms previous testimony that this bill will hurt local businesses.
135	Rep. Nelson	Asks what would make this worthwhile to work this bill out.
149	Ron Agresti	States that they’d have to work it out, but maybe combine it with a fishing license.
156	Rep. Nelson	Restates the problem for Judi James to address.
166	Judi James	Legislative Fiscal. Speaks to angling license fees.
195	Rep. Nelson	Asks for confirmation on the fiscal impact.
215	James	States that the figures have not been arrived at.
220	Peter Roscoe	Friends of Razor Clams, Astoria. States that the fee is very insignificant and supports the revenue to come from this bill.
275	Bob Jacobson	Submits (EXHIBIT E) and (EXHIBIT F) and testifies with strong support for HB 3252. References the Shellfish Advisory Committee’s report of the Shellfish License Citizen’s Committee and their findings. Recommends a possible rewording of the bill, however.
414	Rep. Nelson	Asks if the committee addressed seniors and veterans in the committee.
428	Jacobson	States that they didn’t, but that they did address children’s licensing.
440	Rep. Nelson	Asks if automation was discussed.
TAPE 53, B
004	Jacobson	Notes that automated machines are available.
008	VC Wirth	Recesses the public hearing on HB 3252 and opens a work session on HB 3232.
HB 3232- WORK SESSION
016	Rep. Kropf	MOTION: Moves HB 3232 to the floor with a DO PASS recommendation and BE REFERRED to the committee on Ways and Means by prior reference.
022		VOTE: 7-0 AYE: In a roll call vote, all members present vote Aye.
026	Chair Garrard	The motion CARRIES.
027	Vice-Chair Wirth	Closes the work session on HB 3252 and reopens a work session on HB 3252.
HB 3252 – PUBLIC HEARING
045	Vice-Chair Wirth	Recesses the public hearing on HB 3252 opens a public hearing on HB 2957.
HB 2957 – PUBLIC HEARING
055	Darcy Cronin	Submits (EXHIBIT G) and testifies in opposition to HB 2957 in order to protect the right to know about genetically-engineered foods.
081	Vice-Chair Wirth	Closes the public hearing on HB 2957 and reopens a public hearing on HB 3252.
HB 3252 – PUBLIC HEARING
090	Dennis Richey	Oregon Anglers. Testifies in support of HB 3252 and states that anglers believe that this fee is long overdue. Testifies that Washington’s fees are far more costly.
100	Patty Burke	Manager, Marine Resources Program, ODFW. Submits (EXHIBIT H), (EXHIBIT I), and (EXHIBIT J) and supplies neutral testimony regarding HB 3252.
154	Rep. Nelson	Asks Burke where she came up with the fiscal figure.
156	Burke	States that ODFW economists came up with the economic impact. Speaks to the costs of the crabs and clams in terms of impact. Discusses needed programs to responsibly manage the shellfish industry.
250	Dave Cleary	Oregon State Police, Fish and Wildlife Division. Submits (EXHIBIT K) and expresses concern with the definition of shellfish and also to the resident exemption.
290	Phil Donovan	Northwest Sportfishing Association. Submits (EXHIBIT L) and states that sportsmen support this legislation. Asserts the value to bringing in financial resources and how this bill can help in this process.
370	Ron McKay	Food Safety Division, Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA). Submits (EXHIBIT M) and testifies in favor of HB 3252, but urges that revenues be used to support the entire shellfish program.
388	Rep. Nelson	Asks for ODA’s cost for this program.
390	McKay	Replies that the costs vary, depending on the program. Notes that $250,000 is an approximate figure.
401	Rep. Nelson	Asks if that figure includes OSP.
402	McKay	Replies that it does not.
405	Wayne Van Dyke	Testifies with strong support for HB 3252. Points out that the proposed license has nothing to do with food, but rather with recreation and states that crabbing compares favorably with the price of other forms of recreation.
TAPE 54, A
002	Chair Kropf	Asks Cleary if there is any funding to help OSP with enforcement.
007	Cleary	Responds to the funding mechanisms.
012	Chair Kropf	Asks about the costs involved with this program.
020	Cleary	References Patty Burke’s exhibits and notes that due to revenue cutbacks, they would have to add two FTE and that it would cost about $185 thousand.
028	Jean Lauviolette	Part owner, Jetty Fishery, Nehalem. Explains his crabbing business. Discusses drag nets and the commercial crabber as they relate to the inequity of the system in opposition to HB 3252.
111	Rep. Nelson	Asks how many pounds of crab could one catch in a boat.
119	Lauviolette	Speaks to the costs and limits for a day of crabbing.
150	Vice-Chair Wirth	Closes the public hearing on HB 3252 and adjourns the meeting at 3:40 PM.

EXHIBIT SUMMARY

A – HB 3232, written testimony, Al Elkins, 1 p.

B – HB 3232, written testimony, Ron Anglin, 4 pp.

C – HB 3252, written testimony, Rep. Donna Nelson, 2 pp.

D – HB 3252, written testimony, Shirley Lauviolette, 34 pp.

E – HB 3252, written testimony, Bob Jacobson, 2 pp.

F – HB 3252, written testimony, Bob Jacobson, 5 pp.

G – HB 2957, written testimony, Darcy Cronin, 1 p.

H – HB 3252, written information, Patty Burke, 1 p.

I – HB 3252, written information, Patty Burke, 8 pp.

J – HB 3252, written information, Patty Burke, 50 pp.

K – HB 3252, written testimony, David Cleary, 3 pp.

L – HB 3252, written testimony, Phil Donovan, 1 p.

M – HB 3252, written testimony, Ron McKay, 1 p.