Finance Debates Mystery Proposal To Cut State Parks Funding
The Finance, Revenue, and Bonding Committee briefly debated a bill Tuesday that would change how motorcycles are taxed.
But increasing the tax rate on motorcycles and mufflers that exceed the maximum allowable decibel level is not the controversial part of the bill. The second half of the bill would require residents with multiple vehicles to only pay the $5 Passport to the Parks fee with their registration on one vehicle — cutting the amount of revenue for state parks in half.
The Passport to the Parks program was created in 2018. It collects $5 per year from every vehicle when the vehicle is registered. Residents then get to drive into any state park without paying a fee, while the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection gets the funding to keep the parks open.
Eric Hammerling of the Connecticut Forest & Park Association said before the $5 Passport program, residents had to pay $13 to park at Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison, so the new program is a bargain for anyone who uses the state parks and beaches on a regular basis. He said state park usage has gone up during the pandemic and cutting the funding in half would be detrimental to the program.
Read more: https://ctnewsjunkie.com/2021/04/21/finance-debates-mystery-proposal-to-cut-state-parks-funding/