State Rep. Dave Prestin, R-Cedar River, on Tuesday released the following statement regarding the Senate’s $636 million budget proposal for the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The plan, which is being touted as bipartisan despite receiving only a single Republican vote, forces all Michigan drivers to purchase recreational passports for their vehicles and dramatically hikes hunting and fishing license fees:

“The DNR has caused public interest in the outdoors to dramatically decline. The DNR has created an environment where people don’t want to go hunting, fishing, or visit state parks. And who can blame them? DNR logic says it’s reasonable to make seniors and children shoulder the largest burden of license fee increases. DNR logic justifies forcing people who’ve never even heard of our state parks – let alone know how to get to one – to pay for them anyway, including seniors, college students, and other people with zero interest in our state parks. Every single license plate will be charged a passport fee. Backward DNR logic is how this budget bill passed the Senate with a single Republican vote. House Republicans aren’t so gullible; bipartisan or not, this budget proposal is dead.”

###