From: DANIEL KITTILSON

To: Dan Kittilson

Sent: Tuesday, May 17, 2011 11:28 AM

Subject: Fw: AIS Legislation Passes Conference Committee

COLA Reps and Presidents,

 

Please forward this to your membership.

 

Dan

----- Original Message -----

Greetings All:

 

Last night at about 8:00 Henry Erdman and I watched the Environment Conference Committee passed tyhe conference report on SF 1115, the Aquatic Invasive Species policy Bill. We hope that the House and Senate will approve it, and that the Governor will sign it into law later this week, effective the day after passage.

 

The funding for the management and containment of AIS is embroiled in the larger budget impasse.  Even if the Governor and Legislature were to reach a budget compromise  tomorrow the money for the AIS bill would not be available until July 1, 2011.  Assuming that the amounts dio not change. the spending levels for management and containment of AIS are greatly increased.

 

The bill includes mandatory inspection and decontamination if ordered.  If a person refuses inspection their watercraft license can be pulled for a year.  There is language clarifying the DNR Commissioner's authority to regulate fishing tournaments, "The commissioner may require mandatory decontamination of boats participating in fishing contests on infested waters."

 

We did not get everything we wanted.  The fines for violating AIS laws were not increased and remain terribly low.  But together we did make great strides and came such a long way from last fall. 

 

Back slaps and all around.

 

 

Jeff Forester
MSRPO Executive Director Jeff Forester

MSRPO knows cabins are where family happens in Minnesota, and we defend that way of life, working for tax fairness, control of Aquatic Invasive Species, and strong incentives for shoreline and forest habitats.