Minnesota's Game & Fish Fund Faces Looming Budget Deficit
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A deficit is looming in the fund that provides most of the dollars for Minnesota's fish and wildlife programs, and it's projected to go into the red as soon as next year. That could mean deep cuts to programs that are important to hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans unless lawmakers take action. Gov. Mark Dayton is expected to make a proposal for addressing the problem when he releases his budget plan Tuesday. Here's a look at some of the issues:
THE GAME AND FISH FUND
Money comes into the state's Game and Fish Fund from a variety of sources, but the biggest are fishing and hunting license fees. The money flows to programs at the Department of Natural Resources that provide hunting and fishing opportunities, protect fish and wildlife, improve habitat, as well as outreach efforts to grow the ranks of Minnesotans who fish and hunt. That works out to about $110 million in spending in the current fiscal year.
None of the money currently comes from the state's general fund. But revenues have been falling short of spending by about $3.3 million a year. If that trend continues, the Game and Fish Fund is expected to drop into negative territory sometime after mid-2018. The fund can't legally operate in the red, so the DNR would have to start cutting before that happens.
POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS
DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr declined to discuss specifics of the administration's proposal before Dayton releases his budget. But the official Game and Fish Fund Budgetary Oversight Committee has recommended a comprehensive funding package that includes higher fees for fishing and hunting licenses, ice fishing houses and the like to ensure the solvency of the fund for the next decade. The committee also recommended tapping the general fund since some fish and wildlife programs benefit all residents.
The chairman of that panel, John Lenczewski, executive director of Minnesota Trout Unlimited, said he doesn't know what Dayton will propose. But he said fee increases and general fund money could be a tough sell to lawmakers.
"I think in general the public is supportive, but a lot of legislators think, 'I can't vote for a tax increase or a fee increase,' even if people are clamoring for it," Lenczewski said.
THE LAST TIME
License fees went up in 2013 for the first time in 12 years. For residents, the annual fishing license rose from $17 to $22, the deer hunting license went from $26 to $30. But it took a major push from sporting groups to get it passed by legislators in 2012, after a similar push failed a year before.
These increases don't usually pass on the first try, Lenczewski said. And even last time, he pointed, the Legislature didn't approve the full package that the DNR sought, which would have kept the Game and Fish fund in the black for several more years.
"So we're back at it again," he said.
IT'S NOT JUST MINNESOTA
Wisconsin's DNR faces a similar problem with its Fish and Wildlife Account, so the agency proposed fee increases earlier this month. The agency puts its fund's annual shortfall at $4 million to $6 million.
A Wisconsin DNR report said 17 states have raised hunting and fishing fees since 2013. But Wisconsin hasn't done it in a decade, and even longer for some licenses. The proposal faces an uncertain future in a legislature that's considering breaking up the agency.
(© Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
