State Rep. Greg Alexander today expressed extreme disappointment with advancing legislation that raises costs for people across the state who hunt, fish, or boat, while ultimately working to diminish participation in some of Michigan’s most hallowed traditions.

The House Natural Resources, Environment, Tourism and Outdoor Recreation Committee this week voted to advance proposals that increase application fees for hunting, fishing and boating licenses. The plan comes on the heels of another – House Bill 5428 – that changes the current opt-in process for a recreation passport on vehicle registration forms to an opt-out requirement, which will create scenarios where people inadvertently find themselves having to pay for passports they don’t intend on using for each vehicle in their household. HB 5428 was approved in a party-line vote in the House on Thursday.

“These cash grab attempts as we close the legislative term will have lasting impacts on many people who love Michigan’s outdoors and want to be able to enjoy it without being nickel-and-dimed through government overreach,” said Alexander, of Carsonville. “Our outdoor recreation is what helps separate us from other states. Many local economies and livelihoods rely in part on dollars generated from the amount of hunters or boaters and their families who are in the area in a particular month or on a particular weekend. We’re tipping the scales with these bills and pricing people right out of the outdoors. It’s completely unnecessary and wrong for our state.”

Alexander noted that funding for state park operations has steadily increased since the recreation passport program replaced daily and annual state park passes in 2010 – from approximately $60 million in 2015 to over $100 million in the current fiscal year – and questioned the purpose of deceptive practices on forms to secure additional revenue.

Hunting and fishing also help manage wildlife populations in the state, and Alexander said that higher costs will reduce how many people are out engaging in critical control efforts. Deer harvest numbers for the regular firearm season were down from 2023 and the lowest in six years according to data recently shared by the department. The number of deer taken during the season has fallen each year from 2020 onward, according to DNR surveys.