The 2008 MN Legislative forked out millions to the ATV industry in addition to the near 6 million projected annually prior to the 08 session!
One wonders what these millions could have done for the children, the aged and the poor in our state. While legislators pilfer millions from state gas taxes they cut funding for schools, health care and rob the state of much needed road repair money.
+Increase in ATV un-refunded gas tax from .15 to .27, adding an
additional $590,000 in FY2009, $1.09 million in FY2010 and $1.12
Million in FY2011 and continue indefinitely.
+ $300,000 per biennium added to DNR Trails and Waterways Division
for trail development, maintenance, and operations. This new
money will further open the new trails from the forest classification
process.
+ $70,000 per biennium added to the grant-in-aid account.
+ $370,000 per biennium for grants to local law enforcement for OHV
related enforcement and education.
+ $100,000 in one time money to make the "Moose Trail" in Hoyt Lakes
, MN into a multi-use trail. It is currently a snowmobile trail,
but will be converted into an OHV-snowmobile trail.
+ $400,000 ($700,000 total OHV & Snowmobile funding) in one time
money to complete two culverts for added connectivity of existing
trails to the Virginia OHV Park . This is a shared effort with
MN4WD, ARMCA, and MNUSA. There is still some property around
the Virginia rec site that needs to be acquired, and this money
cannot be spent until that land is acquired.
= Passing the "Forests for the Future" Program which erodes the meaning of conservation easements. The Forests for the Future program is a forest legacy program that was appropriated money to lessen the impact of forest parceling by acquiring
conservation easements. These easements now can include ATV recreational use as an option for forest use and which will indeed divide the forests with trails.
= Fighting against citizen's attempts
to repeal the un-refunded gas tax program for ATV's, snowmobiles,
boats, OHM's, and OHV's. The bill never received a hearing and died.
=Fighting against citizen groups request for all new ATV
revenue to be appropriated to DNR Enforcement. No bill ever
received a hearing in committee and died.
= Fighting against a bill that would expand the ability for law
enforcement to confiscate ATV's
The ATV un-refunded gas tax passed early in session and was signed into law. This finally brings added millions to OHV coffers.. ATVAM fought for 3 years to pass this contentious piece of legislation. This formula increase, coupled with the veto-override of the transportation bill allowed the ATV account access to more money that they so desperately fought for to continue pushing ATVs in Minnesota.
The bill introduced to repeal the un-refunded gas tax program was scheduled to be given an informational hearing in the House, but was soon cancelled. The lobbyists from all OHV groups, MNUSA, boating representatives, will be working together as this legislation will be back again next year, and probably for many years to come. They will opposition and really continue to pressure elected officials to support this program.
There was a bill introduced that would bring MN under the CA Emission laws, thus, placing us under the control of a council in CA. No one was sure if this affected motorcycles, or off road motorcycles. It made us very nervous how it would affect the performance and price of ATV's, and we helped lobby against its passage. The bill was killed in the Senate Jobs, and Economic Development Committee. There was an exception placed in the house version exempting ATV's from the law.
the "20 yard rule" for ATV grouse hunting was repealed in one of the last legislative bills that passed at the capitol.
