Bill would direct boat-registration fees to Missouri Water Patrol as collections fall

Representative Hovis (District 146) introduced House Bill 28-85, which would change how boat-registration fees are allocated: the bill would remove language that directs the first $1,000,000 of those fees to General Revenue and instead obligate all such fee revenue to the Missouri Water Patrol Division to support operations.

"There was a provision...that the first $1,000,000 of those fees collected...would be sent to general revenue, and the remaining fees would be obligated to the water patrol," the sponsor said. "We're asking to take that all the way down to where all fees collected would go to the Missouri Water Patrol division to help fund those operations."

Lieutenant Alex Vivas, testifying for the Patrol, said boating-registration numbers are trending down and the division relies on those fees to fund search-and-rescue operations, dive teams and safety programs. The witness said the department collects roughly $3.0–$3.4 million annually in boat fees and that the Water Patrol’s total budget is around $14 million; he asked the committee to consider shifting the $1,000,000 currently directed to General Revenue back to patrol operations.

Committee members asked for specifics about the account balance, what programs would lose General Revenue support if the shift occurred, and the timing in statute (the sponsor acknowledged the effective date was set to July 1 and said the Department of Revenue indicated retroactive handling would be possible). No opposition witnesses testified and the chair closed the hearing.