Two RBOC-supported Bills Pass Assembly - Office of Outdoor Recreation & 12-month Sport Fishing Licenses

Two RBOC-supported measures have just passed the Assembly with preliminary bipartisan support [and no “no” votes] and now proceed to the Senate:

AB 1111 [Friedman] – to establish the Office of Outdoor Recreation (OREC) within the Office of the Governor.

AB 1387 [Wood] – to require the Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) to issue, in addition to calendar-year licenses, sport fishing licenses that expire 12 consecutive months after the date of issue.

RBOC Lobbies State Legislators on 2019 Boating Issues

Recreational Boaters of California [RBOC] held its annual legislative day in Sacramento on February 27, with attendees visiting and advocating on the 2019 state legislation in more than 40 meetings in the offices of Senators and Assembly Members in the State Capitol.

Constituent and issue-specific meetings with state legislators covered an array of policy issues directly impacting boaters including:

• State Parks Reorganization Plan

• Boater Funds Dedicated to Boater Programs

• Regulatory Overreach [BCDC]

• Copper-based Anti-fouling Paints

• Boating and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta [California WaterFix]

• Office of Sustainable Outdoor Recreation – AB 1111 [Friedman]

• Statutory Definition of Boat Operator – AB 1183 [Ramos]

• Vessel Impoundment – BUI – SB 393 [Stone]

• Boater Rights Aboard Their Vessels – AB 1718 [Levine] and SB 8 [Glazer]

• Chemical Toilet Deodorants – SB 317 [Caballero]

• 12-Month Fishing Licenses – AB 1227 [Obernolte] and AB 1387 [Wood]

For the Boater Issue Update on these issues: click here

Governor Vetoes Proposed Office of Sustainable Outdoor Recreation

The Governor this afternoon vetoed AB 1918 [Garcia] that would have established the Office of Sustainable Outdoor Recreation.

The Governor’s veto message:

This bill establishes the Office of Sustainable Outdoor Recreation within the California Natural Resources Agency to support the outdoor recreation economy. 

The activities identified in this bill are important, but a new bureaucracy is not needed to accomplish the goal. Over the last few years the Department of Parks and Recreation has worked towards enhancing recreational opportunities throughout the state. In fact, Parks California, a support organization to the Department of Parks and Recreation, was recently created to promote outdoor recreation and is engaging in activities similar to those called for in this bill.

Proposed Office of Sustainable Outdoor Recreation Passes Senate Policy Committee

Legislation to establish a new Office of Sustainable Outdoor Recreation has passed the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water.

RBOC testified in committee in support of AB 1918 [Garcia]. The organization supports the measure provided that the measure is not amended or implemented in a manner that would redirect state boating fees and taxes from programs and services that benefit the states’ recreational boaters.

RBOC acknowledges and supports the objective of AB 1918 to promote sustainable outdoor recreation as well as economic development and job growth within the outdoor recreation economy.

California offers remarkable, extensive and unique recreational opportunities. Californians – including recreational boaters - understand and appreciate the intrinsic value of outdoor recreation, its contributions to the economy including jobs and tourism, and the opportunities to grow each of these values. 

This perspective has already become integrated into the very fabric of state government in many ways. A decision to establish a new entity in government is properly predicated upon the foundation established by these significant initiatives, respects the tremendous financial commitments that our citizens continue to contribute each year, and focuses on clear new objectives that cannot be achieved through existing efforts.

RBOC Supports Objective of Legislation Proposing Office of Sustainable Outdoor Recreation

RBOC is expressing to the author and proponents of AB 1918 [Garcia] the organization's support for the concept of promoting sustainable outdoor recreation as well as economic development and job growth within the outdoor recreation economy. AB 1918 proposes the establishment of a new Office of Sustainable Outdoor Recreation.

RBOC is also advocating that there are open questions and key issues that must be answered and addressed as legislation is pursued to create this new entity in state government. These include:

• The position of the new office in state government – The exact position of the office within the Natural Resources Agency must be stated clearly in the legislation. This will enable stakeholders and interested parties to understand the standing of the proposed office and its relationship with other entities. 
• The functions of the new office - It is important that the functions of the new office be very clear in the law, and that those functions do not impede, supersede, cannibalize or duplicate the important functions currently performed by other entities of state government. 
• The funding of the new office –  It is important that the sources of public funding are set forth in the legislation, existing fees and taxes paid by recreational boaters are not re-directed to the office, and the office does not have statutory authority to impose fees on recreational boaters.

California offers remarkable, extensive and unique recreational opportunities. Californians – including recreational boaters - understand and appreciate the intrinsic value of outdoor recreation, its contributions to the economy including jobs and tourism, and the opportunities to grow each of these values. 

This perspective has already become integrated into the very fabric of state government in many ways. A decision to establish a new entity in government should be predicated upon the foundation established by these significant initiatives, respect the tremendous financial commitments that our citizens continue to contribute each year, and focus on clear new objectives that cannot be achieved through existing efforts.

RBOC appreciates being part of this dialogue, and looks forward to further discussions.