FISCAL NOTE
FUND(S):
3200
Sources of Revenue:
Special Fund
Legislation creates:
Neither Program nor Fund
Fiscal Note Summary
Effect this measure will have on costs and revenues of state government.
This bill would legalize the use of crossbows for all hunters during archery and other hunting seasons and eliminate the Class Y provisions currently in code. Based on available data from West Virginia and surrounding states, the Division of Natural Resources estimates that legalizing crossbows without requiring a license and accompanying fee would result in the use of crossbows by approximately 27,000 currently licensed hunters. Most of these individuals would be expected to use crossbows during the current archery season and prior to the current buck-gun, muzzleloader, and antlerless seasons, thus reducing the attractiveness of stamps associated with those seasons to crossbow hunters. The Division therefore estimates that passage of the bill will reduce sales of additional deer and antlerless stamps by approximately $200,000 annually. Little or no increase in the sale of base licenses is predicted. The only estimated offset to the loss of stamp sales would be a modest (~$10,000) reduction in operating costs associated with the current issuance of Class Y permits, resulting in an estimated net annual revenue loss of $190,000 from passage of the bill. .
Fiscal Note Detail
| Effect of Proposal |
Fiscal Year |
2014
Increase/Decrease
(use"-") |
2015
Increase/Decrease
(use"-") |
Fiscal Year
(Upon Full
Implementation) |
| 1. Estmated Total Cost |
0 |
-10,000 |
-10,000 |
| Personal Services |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Current Expenses |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Repairs and Alterations |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Assets |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Other |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 2. Estimated Total Revenues |
0 |
-200,000 |
-200,000 |
Explanation of above estimates (including long-range effect):
This bill would legalize the use of crossbows for all hunters during archery and other hunting seasons and eliminate the Class Y provisions currently in code. Based on available data from West Virginia and surrounding states, the Division of Natural Resources estimates that legalizing crossbows without requiring a license and accompanying fee would result in the use of crossbows by approximately 27,000 currently licensed hunters. Most of these individuals would be expected to use crossbows during the current archery season and prior to the current buck-gun, muzzleloader, and antlerless seasons, thus reducing the attractiveness of stamps associated with those seasons to crossbow hunters. The Division therefore estimates that passage of the bill will reduce sales of additional deer and antlerless stamps by approximately $200,000 annually. Little or no increase in the sale of base licenses is predicted. The only estimated offset to the loss of stamp sales would be a modest (~$10,000) reduction in operating costs associated with the current issuance of Class Y permits, resulting in an estimated net annual revenue loss of $190,000 from passage of the bill. .
Memorandum
Person submitting Fiscal Note: Steve Brown
Email Address: Walter.S.Brown@wv.gov