A North Dakota legislative committee holds a hearing Friday on a bill to increase fees for hunting licenses and permits.
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A North Dakota legislative committee holds a hearing Friday on a bill to increase fees for hunting licenses and permits.
Sponsor Representative Todd Porter says the Game & Fish Department has had to dip into its reserves over the past couple of years and without new revenue, the agency's financial situation will only worsen.
Porter says its a "perfect storm that we need to look at seriously...to shore up that deficit spending."
Porter says a drop in deer numbers, drought that's dried up wetlands and loss of c-r-p means fewer hunters and less agency revenue.
The proposed license and permit increases are about 10% but those numbers could be tweeked higher.
The measure does not include fishing licenses but Porter says an amendment will include it
The last across-the-board fee increases were in the 1980's. Deer licenses have been at $20 since 1983.
Don Haney