Senator Guglielmo Praises License Fee Cut for Hunting and Fishing

State Senator Tony Guglielmo, R-Stafford, today voted in favor of a $350 million budget mitigation plan that is projected to relieve the state’s deficit for the current fiscal year. According to Sen. Guglielmo, the plan does not raise taxes, cuts fees for fishing and hunting licenses, and reduces admission fees to state parks. Sen. Guglielmo said that while the fees did not return to 2009 levels, the reduction is a step in the right direction that will end up helping the state’s budget situation because more people will get their licenses in Connecticut.

“I believe that this mitigation plan will actually increase revenue to the state because less people will go to neighboring states to do their outdoor activities. My bet is that you will see a spike in the number of licenses that are obtained when this goes into effect,” said Sen. Guglielmo. “We have such great resources here in Connecticut and we should be doing everything we can to give people, especially those who live here, the opportunity to enjoy these resources.”

According to Sen. Guglielmo, fishing license fees for 2010 will be reduced from $40 to $28. Hunting fees will go from $28 to $19. The bill will also reduce fees for camping and admission fees to state parks, which will be determined in the coming weeks by the Department of Environmental Protection.

“This bill begins to correct one of the many wrongs that were contained in last year’s budget bill,” said Sen. Guglielmo. “We hear it all of the time about how we want people to come and stay and enjoy what our state has to offer. A lot has been invested to open space preservation, the environment, state parks, our lakes and streams and what did we do to attract them? We raised the license and admission fees. That’s just not a smart thing to do. I am pleased that we were able to cut back these fees today.”

“We have a lot of work ahead of us. This plan only takes care of the current fiscal year and the outlook for the next two years is ominous,” said Sen. Guglielmo. “The good news is that we were able to pass a measure with bipartisan support, that doesn’t raise taxes and cuts these fees that were simply unfair to many state residents.”