OHV Update
From AZGFD:
Off-highway vehicle legislation update
House Bill 2573 (also known as the off-highway vehicle, user fee bill) was added to the House Natural Resources Committee agenda and passed on March 26 as a strike-everything amendment to SB 1167. HB 2573 had failed the previous week in the Arizona Senate Natural Resources and Rural Affairs Committee (the March 19 vote was 3-3, with one absent).
House Bill 2573 will provide resources to better manage Arizona’s growing off-highway vehicle (OHV) use while protecting wildlife habitat. OHVs have seen a 347 percent increase in usage in Arizona in the last few years, but law enforcement and trail development have lagged far behind. Through this legislation, dollars would be provided by a nominal user fee to create new law enforcement positions, new land and habitat mitigation for damaged use areas, and better trail construction.
For more information or the latest developments regarding HB 2573, go to the department’s OHV legislation Web site at www.azgfd.gov/outdoor_recreation/ohv_legislation.shtml.
