Rep. Joe Schmick: C’mon, man! Don’t balance the budget on the backs of hunters and anglers
In commercials, movies, and daily life, when you hear the exasperated phrase, “C’mon, man!” it is usually in respond to a petty or uncalled for act.
When Democrat budget writers introduced legislation to raise hunting and fishing license fees as part of their record tax-increase package to address our state’s budget deficit, that was exactly my response: “C’mon, man!”
While addressing the deficit is necessary, balancing the budget on the backs of hunters and anglers is unfair and shortsighted.
For many Washingtonians, hunting and fishing aren’t just hobbies. They are family traditions and cultural practices. Relationships between family members and lifelong friends are forged and strengthened through these outdoor activities. Generational knowledge, appreciation of nature’s wonder, and family stories are passed down to children and grandchildren at a time when cell phones are in front of our faces every day.
Perhaps more important, hunting and fishing are essential ways to put food on the table for many in rural areas and among lower-income households. Wild game and fish often help stretch grocery budgets. Many hunters and anglers are veterans, tradespeople, farmers, blue-collar workers, and retirees on fixed incomes. These are the same people already struggling with inflation, housing and energy costs, and grocery prices that have skyrocketed. A hike in fees could mean being priced out of a time-honored way of life — or a primary source of food.
Meanwhile, recreationists — often outfitted head to toe in name-brand gear and seen flooding the trails on weekends — are largely unaffected. For them, the outdoors is often a playground, not a necessity. Raising the price may not have a detrimental effect on their household budgets, but for many the cost of increased hunting and fishing licenses can be a deterrent to our great outdoors.
Hunters and anglers already fund much of the state’s conservation efforts through license fees and excise taxes on gear. Their dollars support habitat restoration, wildlife management and education programs. They’re not just users of the land — they’re stewards of it. Penalizing them with higher fees undermines both equity and the long-term sustainability of our natural resources.
I have heard some in the hunting, angling, and outdoor community support the fee increase, saying it hasn’t kept up with inflation. However, when again talking to my hunting friend, his comments rang true:
“Joe, this state is one of the most anti-hunting and fishing states in the nation. You could raise fees to a thousand dollars. Do you really think there will be a correlating increase in hunting and fishing access, opportunities, or easing of onerous overregulating?”
I’m not sure I can disagree with him.
Again, budget writers are proposing the largest tax and fee increase package in state history. The same hunters and anglers could also be paying higher property taxes, more for goods and services, and more at the pump. A license fee increase is just another financial burden our citizens will have to bear because of our state’s overspending and zealous appetite for more of your hard-earned money.
Washington’s great outdoors should remain accessible to all. Raising license fees under the banner of fiscal necessity risks shutting out the very people who have cared for these lands for generations.
Balancing the budget is necessary. But doing so on the backs of hunters and anglers is not.
