SOUTH CAROLINA REVENUE AND FISCAL AFFAIRS OFFICE
S
TATEMENT OF ESTIMATED FISCAL IMPACT
WWW.RFA.SC.GOV • (803)734-3793
This fiscal impact statement is produced in compliance with the South Carolina Code of Laws and House and Senate rules. The focus of
the analysis is on governmental expenditure and revenue impacts and may not provide a comprehensive summary of the legislation.
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H. 3340
Fiscal Impact Summary
This bill expands the discount eligibility for state park facilities and campsite facilities to include
South Carolina residents who are members or retirees of the Armed Forces of the United States,
members of the reserves, and veterans.
The Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism (PRT) anticipates this bill will increase
expenses by up to approximately $500,000 beginning in FY 2025-26 for additional staff,
supplies, and equipment. PRT anticipates this bill will increase park visitation, and to manage the
expected increases in visitation, maintenance, repair, and cleanup, anticipates increased expenses
of up to $350,000 for salary and fringe for 15.0 additional part-time staff members and $150,000
for equipment and supplies. They expect any increase in expenses will be offset by an increase in
fees. The department anticipates requesting an Other Funds authorization increase to expend
these additional funds.
Additionally, this bill will have an impact to Other Fund revenue. PRT estimates that this bill
will reduce current fee revenue by approximately $660,000 beginning in FY 2025-26 for
individuals who are currently going to parks that will be eligible for the new discount.
Additionally, PRT anticipates an 8 percent increase in visits to the park by SC residents who
qualify for the new discounts. Based on this and assuming these visits do not replace those
visiting at full price, RFA estimates new revenue generated from increased visitation at the
current rates with the proposed discounts will be up to $1,066,000, which results in a net revenue
increase of approximately $400,000. However, the number of discounted visits and stays that
will replace those from visitors who would otherwise pay full price is unknown. Additionally,
PRT anticipates potentially increasing fees to access park and recreational facilities to offset the
increased expenses as needed, which would result in an additional increase to Other Fund
revenue. Therefore, the total impact on Other Funds may vary from these estimates and is
undetermined.
Bill Number: H. 3340 Introduced on Januar
y 14, 2025
Subject: Campsite Rental Fee Discount
Requestor: House Medical, Military, Public, and Municipal Affairs
RFA Analyst(s): Daigle
Impact Date: February 7, 2025
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H. 3340
Explanation of Fiscal Impact
Introduced on January 14, 2025
State Expenditure
This bill extends discount eligibility for state park facilities and campsite facilities to South
Carolina residents who are members or retirees of the Armed Forces of the United States,
members of the reserves, and veterans.
Currently, any South Carolina resident who is over sixty-five years old, blind, or disabled and
members of the South Carolina National Guard may use any facility of a state park except
campsite facilities, overnight lodging, and recreation buildings without charge. Such residents
may also use campsite facilities at one-half of the prescribed fee. PRT adjusts the fee structure in
order to maintain fiscal soundness and continued maintenance and operations of the State Park
System. Discounts cannot be less than 35 percent for people eligible for discounts.
PRT anticipates this bill will increase expenses by up to $500,000 beginning in FY 2025-26 for
additional staff, maintenance, and supplies. PRT estimates that this bill will increase park
visitation by SC residents by approximately 8 percent, which will require additional staff to
manage increased visitation and associated maintenance, repair, and cleanup. Furthermore,
additional staff will be assigned to gate and reservation roles as the department is responsible for
ensuring that a person utilizing a discount is actually the person occupying the reservation. PRT
anticipates an increase in expenses of approximately $350,000 for salary and fringe for 15.0
additional part-time staff. PRT reports that it currently has 619 part-time employees to handle
approximately 9,939,000 visitors, and therefore, to handle an 8 percent increase of SC resident
visitors, PRT expects to increase part-time staff by 2.4 percent. Additionally, PRT states that the
increase in duties due to this bill will increase hours of existing temporary workers. The
department notes that the type of part-time positions will depend on each respective park’s needs
and may include administrative assistants, assistant rangers, park technicians, and maintenance
staff. Additionally, PRT anticipates supply costs will increase by at least $150,000 for updating
printed materials, equipment for new employees, and an upgrade to the current Central
Reservation System (CRS). PRT also expressed concern that the department is near the
beginning of a 7-year CRS contract, and this bill may require upgrades to the system that could
increase expenses by several hundred thousand dollars. PRT anticipates potentially increasing
current fees to offset any increase in expenses above revenues due to this bill. The department
will need to seek an Other Funds authorization increase in order to expend the additional
revenue.
State Revenue
This bill extends discount eligibility for state park facilities and campsite facilities. PRT expects
that discounts in this bill will be similar to the discounts currently offered to SC residents over
the age of sixty-five including a 35 percent discount for camping, a 40 percent discount for daily
admissions, and a 50 percent discount on annual passes. Fee revenue from admissions to parks
and recreational facilities is used for park and recreational operations.
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H. 3340
PRT anticipates that this bill will reduce existing revenue by approximately $660,000 beginning
in FY 2025-26 due to the discounts for current park attendees. The following table displays
PRT’s calculations.
Camping
Admissions
Annual Pass
Admissions
Gate
FY 2023-24 Total Revenue $23,263,000 $4,524,000 $6,785,000
Percent of Revenue from SC Population 60% 80% 60%
Revenue Generated by SC Residents $3,958,000 $3,619,000 $4,071,000
Percent Newly Eligible for Discount 8% 8% 8%
Revenue Newly Eligible for Discount $1,117,000 $290,000 $326,000
Discount rate 35% 50% 40%
Revenue Decrease (Estimated) $391,000 $145,000 $130,000
Source: Estimates by SC Parks Recreation and Tourism
Furthermore, PRT anticipates that this bill may also increase overall visitation by approximately
8 percent. Using the same discount rates provided by PRT, RFA estimates that an 8 percent
increase in visits by individuals eligible for the discounts allowed by this bill will result in an
additional $1,732,000 annually at the current fee schedule before the discounts. Based on the 8
percent increase in eligible visitors, the new revenue will also be discounted by a corresponding
$660,000, for a net of $1,066,000. Using the estimated new net revenue of $1,066,000 and
subtracting $660,000 in discounts for existing park attendees, this bill may result in a net revenue
increase of up to $400,000 beginning in FY 2025-26. However, PRT reports that the increased
number of discounted visits and stays that will replace those from visitors who would otherwise
be paying full price is unknown. Additionally, PRT anticipates potentially increasing fees to
access park and recreational facilities to offset the increased expenses as needed, which would
result in an additional increase to Other Fund revenue. The total impact will depend upon the
increase in expenses and PRT’s increased fees, and therefore, the total impact on Other Funds is
undetermined.
For reference, based on 2023 population and demographic data from the Census Bureau and the
U.S. Department of Defense, this bill will expand the discount-eligible population by
approximately 20 percent. Those currently eligible for a discount include people who are
disabled, blind, over the age of sixty-five, and SC members of the National Guard. This bill will
expand eligibility to include South Carolinians who are members or retirees of the Armed
Forces, members of the reserves, and all veterans. In 2023 the total population in SC was
approximately 5,374,000. The population of people who were eligible for the current discounts
was estimated at approximately 1,424,000 (26 percent of the total population), while the total
population of people who would be eligible to the discounts pursuant to this bill was estimated at
__________________________________
Frank A. Rainwater, Executive Director
DISCLAIMER: THIS FISCAL IMPACT STATEMENT REPRESENTS THE OPINION AND INTERPRETATION OF THE
AGENCY OFFICIAL WHO APPROVED AND SIGNED THIS DOCUMENT. IT IS PROVIDED AS INFORMATION TO
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSIDERED AS AN EXPRESSION OF LEGISLATIVE INTENT.
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H. 3340
approximately 1,709,000 (32 percent of the total population). Therefore, approximately 20
percent more people will be eligible for discounts as a result of this bill.
1
Local Expenditure
N/A
Local Revenue
N/A
1
U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Commerce, Selected Social Characteristics in the United States,
American Community Survey, ACS 1-Year Estimates Data Profiles, Table DP02, 2023, Accessed on January 28,
2025, https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDP1Y2023.DP02?q=DP02&g=040XX00US45;
U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Commerce, Veteran Status." American Community Survey, ACS 1-Year
Estimates Subject Tables, Table S2101, 2023, Accessed on January 28, 2025,
https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST1Y2023.S2101?q=veterans&g=040XX00US45;
U.S. Defense Department, Military One Source, 2023 Demographics Interactive Profile of the Military Community:
Chapters 2 and 3, Accessed January 28, 2025, https://demographics.militaryonesource.mil/