LANSING — A proposal to automatically opt Michigan drivers to in the state recreation passport program cleared the House last week, as officials debated the balance between funding conservation efforts and keeping costs low for residents.
Northern Michigan lawmakers were critical of the proposal, which passed with party-line support in the Democratic-controlled House Thursday evening.
“If you don’t take the time to make sure you check the right box, you’re going to be charged for it,” said Rep. Ken Borton, R-Gaylord. “Whether you want it or not, whether you’re ever going to use it or not — it doesn’t matter. And I think that’s absolutely wrong,”
To opt out, a driver would have to un-check the enrollment option when renewing their registration.
Lawmakers say that the approach would lead to unintentional enrollment from people without the desire or means to take advantage of Michigan’s state parks.
“You’ve got a whole bunch of people in Detroit that don’t even use the park system, and they’re not going to know that they have to opt out,” said Rep. Dave Prestin, R-Cedar River. “They’re going to end up buying a park pass, and they don’t even go to parks because they don’t realize that they’ve got to opt out.”
Ron Olson, chief of parks and recreation for the DNR, says that the department isn’t trying to trick drivers with the proposal.
He says the DNR would promote awareness of the change and that it reflects the public benefits of Michigan’s park system.
“The mechanism to opt out would be very simple and straightforward. There’s no duping of the public,” he said. “This is merely to have people think before they make that decision, and we’re hoping to inform people about how important the park system is.”
Olson says that the recreation passport currently has around a 40% participation rate, which brings in about $42 million annually. He says the goal is to increase that rate to 60%, bringing in an additional $17 million annually.
The DNR maintains over a billion dollars in assets through state parks and services, Olson says. Visitation to state parks has increased since the pandemic, and with that comes greater maintenance costs.
“We know the value is there, and what we don’t want to do is let the infrastructure dwindle,” he said. “Because people expect reasonable bathrooms and clean safe parks, and in order to do that, you have to have the facilities maintained and cleaned so people can go there.”
The package also includes a bill to make entry to state parks free for veterans, which would apply to over half a million Michigan residents. The DNR estimates that would result in the loss of about $4 million in annual revenue.
The proposal still needs to be cleared by the Michigan Senate before going to the governor’s desk.
