Committee advances bill to formalize Every Kid Outdoors and permit limited admin use of fund

Representative Kyle introduced the first substitute of House Bill 375 to rename an account with a confusingly similar name, formalize the Every Kid Outdoors initiative, and permit up to 2% of the fund to be used for administration.

Jason Curry, director of the Division of Outdoor Recreation, told the committee the account has been used mainly for infrastructure work and is funded by sales tax. He said the Division set up five regional councils and uses staff time to administer grants; administrative costs for similar grant programs commonly run 7–10%, so the bill limits the fund to 2% for administration "to be more than conservative on this." Curry also referenced a recent agreement with the U.S. Forest Service on co-management of certain trails that the fund could help support.

Senator Johnson questioned whether expanding permissible uses of the restricted account effectively broadens government activity; Curry and Representative Kyle responded that the bill does not change the total fund amount and that the change clarifies how the account can be used to administer existing programs. Senator Quan moved to favorably recommend the bill; the committee passed the motion unanimously.