HLS 18RS-308 ENGROSSED 2018 Regular Session HOUSE BILL NO. 784 BY REPRESENTATIVES MCFARLAND, BISHOP, AND REYNOLDS BOATS/SHIPS/VESSELS: Increases boat registration fees 1 AN ACT 2To amend and reenact R.S. 34:851.20(A)(1) and 851.32, relative to boat and to provide for 3 boat registration and numbering; to provide for fees; to provide for the dedication of 4 revenue; and to provide for related matters. 5Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana: 6 Section 1. R.S. 34:851.20(A)(1) and 851.32 are hereby amended and reenacted to 7read as follows: 8 §851.20. Identification number 9 A.(1) The owner of each motorboat or sailboat requiring numbering by this 10 state shall file an application for number with the Department of Wildlife and 11 Fisheries on forms approved by it. The application shall be signed by the owner of 12 the motorboat or sailboat and shall be accompanied by a the appropriate fee as 13 follows: 14 (a) For a boat which that is fourteen feet or less in length, the fee shall be 15 twenty twenty-nine dollars. 16 (b) For a boat which that is more than fourteen feet and less than eighteen 17 feet in length, the fee shall be twenty-five thirty-four dollars. 18 (c) For a boat which that is eighteen feet in length or greater, the fee shall be 19 thirty thirty-nine dollars plus an additional two dollars for each foot or portion of a 20 foot in length greater than eighteen feet. 21 * * * Page 1 of 4 CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored are additions. HLS 18RS-308 ENGROSSED HB NO. 784 1 §851.32. Disposition of funds 2 A.(1) Funds accruing to the state of Louisiana from registration fees paid by 3 owners of motorboats and sailboats shall be paid into the state treasury and shall be 4 credited to the Bond Security and Redemption Fund. Out of the funds remaining in 5 the Bond Security and Redemption Fund, after a sufficient amount is allocated from 6 that fund to pay all obligations secured by the full faith and credit of the state which 7 become due and payable within any fiscal year, the treasurer shall, prior to placing 8 such remaining funds in the State General Fund, pay into the Conservation Fund of 9 the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission an amount equal to the total 10 amount, less the amounts provided in Paragraph (2) of this Subsection, of the sums 11 recovered as registration fees in R.S. 34:851.20 and R.S. 34:851.23 of this Part for 12 the purpose of administering and enforcing the provisions of this Part or for such 13 other purposes as may be determined by said commission. 14 (2) The treasurer shall pay an amount equal to nine dollars of every fee 15 collected for registering a motorboat and sailboat pursuant to R.S. 34:851.20(A)(1) 16 into the Aquatic Plant Control Fund created by R.S. 56:10.1. 17 B. The revenues derived from the registration fees paid into the Conservation 18 Fund shall be made available for the purpose of providing the necessary additional 19 funds for the administration and enforcement of the provisions of this Part or for 20 such other purposes as may be determined by the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries 21 Commission. 22 Section 2. R.S. 34:851.20(A)(1) and 851.32 are hereby amended and reenacted to 23read as follows: 24 §851.20. Identification number 25 A.(1) The owner of each motorboat or sailboat requiring numbering by this 26 state shall file an application for number with the Department of Wildlife and 27 Fisheries on forms approved by it. The application shall be signed by the owner of 28 the motorboat or sailboat and shall be accompanied by a the appropriate fee as 29 follows: Page 2 of 4 CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored are additions. HLS 18RS-308 ENGROSSED HB NO. 784 1 (a) For a boat which that is fourteen feet or less in length, the fee shall be 2 twenty-nine twenty dollars. 3 (b) For a boat which that is more than fourteen feet and less than eighteen 4 feet in length, the fee shall be thirty-four twenty-five dollars. 5 (c) For a boat which that is eighteen feet in length or greater, the fee shall be 6 thirty-nine thirty dollars plus an additional two dollars for each foot or portion of a 7 foot in length greater than eighteen feet. 8 * * * 9 §851.32. Disposition of funds 10 A.(1) Funds accruing to the state of Louisiana from registration fees paid by 11 owners of motorboats and sailboats shall be paid into the state treasury and shall be 12 credited to the Bond Security and Redemption Fund. Out of the funds remaining in 13 the Bond Security and Redemption Fund, after a sufficient amount is allocated from 14 that fund to pay all obligations secured by the full faith and credit of the state which 15 become due and payable within any fiscal year, the treasurer shall, prior to placing 16 such remaining funds in the State General Fund, pay into the Conservation Fund of 17 the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission an amount equal to the total 18 amount, less the amounts provided in Paragraph (2) of this Subsection, of the sums 19 recovered as registration fees in R.S. 34:851.20 and R.S. 34:851.23 of this Part for 20 the purpose of administering and enforcing the provisions of this Part or for such 21 other purposes as may be determined by said commission. 22 (2) The treasurer shall pay nine dollars of every fee collected for registering 23 a motorboat and sailboat pursuant to R.S. 34:851.20(A)(1) into the Aquatic Plant 24 Control Fund created by R.S. 56:10.1. 25 B. The revenues derived from the registration fees paid into the Conservation 26 Fund shall be made available for the purpose of providing the necessary additional 27 funds for the administration and enforcement of the provisions of this Part or for 28 such other purposes as may be determined by the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries 29 Commission. Page 3 of 4 CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored are additions. HLS 18RS-308 ENGROSSED HB NO. 784 1 Section 3. The provisions of Section 1 of this Act and this Section shall become 2effective August 1, 2018. The provisions of Section 2 of this Act shall become effective 3August 1, 2023. DIGEST The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)] HB 784 Engrossed 2018 Regular Session McFarland Abstract: Increases boat registration fees and dedicates the revenue to the Aquatic Plant Control Fund. Present law requires that each owner of a motorboat or sailboat required to be numbered by the state to submit an application to the Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries accompanied by a designated fee based on the length of the boat. Proposed law increases the fee for 5 years as follows: Boat Length Present Fee Proposed Fee 14 ft. or less $20 $29 >14 ft. and < 18 ft. $25 $34 >18 ft. $30 +$2 per ft. $39+$2 per ft. Proposed law dedicates the revenue from the increases to the Aquatic Plant Control Fund. Present law creates the Aquatic Plant Control Fund to fund the aquatic plant control program and to fund cooperative research and public education efforts by the Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries and the LSU Agricultural Center relative to aquatic weed control and eradication. (Amends R.S. 34:851.20(A)(1) and 851.32) Page 4 of 4 CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored are additions.