SB 327

Current law prohibits a person from operating a snowmobile in this state unless

the snowmobile is covered by a public-use or private-use registration issued by the

Department of Natural Resources (DNR) or is exempt from registration. A person

who owns a snowmobile is generally exempt from snowmobile registration

requirements in this state if the snowmobile is covered by a valid registration in

another state or country. A public-use registration is valid for two years and a

private-use registration is valid until ownership of the snowmobile is transferred.

This bill eliminates the two-year registration period for a public-use registration

and provides that a public-use registration is valid until ownership of the

snowmobile is transferred. The bill also lowers the public-use registration fee from

$30 to $15.

Under current law, a person who owns a snowmobile that is not registered in

this state or is exempt from registration must display a trail use sticker issued by

DNR on the snowmobile. The fee for this sticker is $34.25. This bill requires all

snowmobiles to display a trail use sticker, regardless of whether the snowmobile is

registered in this state. The bill provides that the fee for a trail use sticker issued

for a snowmobile that is registered in this state is $14.25 if the snowmobile is owned

by a snowmobile club member and $34.25 if the owner does not belong to a

snowmobile club.

Under current law, DNR provides funding from the snowmobile account in the

conservation fund for snowmobile regulation purposes including aids to counties for

activities such as snowmobile trail development and maintenance and law

enforcement. Currently, these activities are funded by snowmobile fees and by

moneys transferred from the transportation fund to the conservation fund. The

amount of this transfer equals the estimated snowmobile gas tax formula. The

estimated snowmobile gas tax formula amount is based on an estimate of the amount

of excise tax paid on gasoline by operators of all snowmobiles registered in this state.

Beginning with fiscal year 2016-17, this bill bases the estimated snowmobile gas tax

formula on an estimate of the excise tax paid on gasoline by operators of registered

snowmobiles in this state who are issued a trail use sticker.

Current law also requires DNR to calculate an amount equal to the number of

trail use stickers issued by DNR in the previous fiscal year multiplied by $32 and to

credit this amount to an appropriation account that funds aids to counties for

activities such as trail development and maintenance. This bill changes the basis

on which DNR must calculate the amount to be credited to that appropriation. Under

the bill, DNR must credit an amount equal to the number of trail use stickers issued

in the previous fiscal year to owners of snowmobiles that are exempt from

registration multiplied by $34.25.