Registry bill awaits governor christie's signature

[finchaser]

PPpppppl


Recreational Fishing Alliance (NJ) Contact: Jim Hutchinson, Jr. / 888-564-6732
For Immediate Release January 6, 2011

REGISTRY BILL AWAITS GOVERNOR CHRISTIE'S SIGNATURE
A823/S1122 Awaiting The Governor's Signature To Pass Into Law


The New Jersey Assembly today voted today (65-8-3) on a slight technical amendment in Assembly Bill 823 (A823), officially placing New Jersey's free saltwater registration onto the Governor's desk for his final signature. "A823 needed a simple procedural vote in order to bring it into perfect alignment with its Senate companion bill, S1122," said Jim Donofrio, Executive Director of the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA).

"There's been a lot of debate and considerable confusion within the community, but our coastal anglers should take comfort in knowing that this procedural vote in the Assembly will ensure that longstanding Fish & Game Code specifications are kept intact, to the benefit of coastal fishermen," he added.

The RFA has also sent a personal fax to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (*see comments below), respectfully urging his support of A823/S1122 and asking that he signs the bills into law as quickly as possible. "We've been in constant contact with the Governor's office with regard to these bills, but now it's go time," said Donofrio, adding "saltwater fishermen who are hoping to see this registry legislation passed are certainly encouraged to do their part as well by respectfully contacting the Governor's office in support of the legislation."

Click here for fax template (http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=hclmspcab&et=1104204689828&s=10015&e=001hzHjk2SXMFs_WfVyK70vzBLTElmkdYuymAY4NR5nlHiEn NMkUf66iC11LmjtE5EGpxXnY5DJMwsFaygwkMeSBJ6RbG1no39 g_hT588h2y75jL5l_38-mbXEaOUO5s9jyAa10GsKZJFw0LnFwQxuVmeTKtqqY6n0z) to send to Governor Chris Christie.


*Dear Governor Christie,

On behalf of our New Jersey membership, the state saltwater fishing community, and its related industries, we respectfully urge you to sign A823/S1122 into law. Satisfying the federal mandate to maintain a contact list of saltwater anglers is vitally important as we begin the New Year. On 11/29/10, the Department of Interior made its preliminary apportionment announcement for FY2011, with an estimated $2.48 million expected for New Jersey from the federal Sport Fish Restoration Fund, 60% of which is specifically to be earmarked for saltwater programs like this registry.

In the coming year, the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) and our RFA-NJ chapter representatives pledge to work closely with your administration to identify additional funding sources to support New Jersey's Division of Fish and Wildlife. We have shared many ideas with the Division over the years pertaining new funding opportunities, but our community has mostly been ignored by the bureaucracy in the past. The basic mantra towards former DEP Commissioners has always been "we need saltwater anglers to pay a license to fish" which as you know is simply a user fee or tax.

In this time of economic crisis, we know it's time to get creative - government needs to do a little bit more with less, and the saltwater anglers of New Jersey are ready and willing to do our part to help by talking about new funding ideas to help support our friends at the Division. We hope that you'll please sign A823/S1122 into law first on behalf of our recreational fishing community!


Please print letter from link above and fax to Governor

[rip316]

Mailed it out this evening.

[jigfreak]

What's the hold-up on this, guys? Anyone know?

[DarkSkies]

I don't know, Jigfreak, but people are starting to demand answers.

Daniel Nee wrote this on 1-21 for the BrickPatch.
This was sent in by Finchaser, thanks!


http://brick.patch.com/articles/time-for-christie-to-show-his-cards-on-free-fishing-registry?ncid=M255

Time for Christie to Show His Cards on Free Fishing Registry

New Jersey anglers shouldn't have to pay to fish in 2011


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If there are any lawyers out there looking for work, you might want to contact the governor. His legal office seems pretty backlogged.
A couple weeks ago, during a press conference (http://brick.patch.com/articles/christie-in-ocean-county-signs-barnegat-bay-protection-bills), I asked Governor Chris Christie if he planned to sign pending legislation to create a free registry of the state’s anglers. He told me that if the bill made it to his desk, his legal team would review it before he made a decision as to whether or not he wanted to sign it into law. Well, two days after that press conference – and two weeks ago – it was sent to the Guv’s desk. I guess they’re still reviewing it.
If Hizzoner doesn’t sign the bill, it could cost you $15 to fish this year. The federal government is requiring all anglers nationwide to register before they fish; it’s an attempt to be able to call anglers and collect better data on how many fish they caught. States with fishing licenses already have de facto registries. New Jersey, which does not have a saltwater fishing license, needs some way of accounting for its anglers. If the bill is not signed, New Jersey anglers will have to register under the federal system, where the cost of registration was upped to $15 Jan. 1. Thus, the free license bill sitting on Christie’s desk could certainly save some of our state’s fishermen a few bucks this year.
But will he sign the bill?

People aren’t sure what the hold-up is. Jim Donofrio of the Recreational Fishing Alliance, a group that lobbies on behalf of recreational anglers, said last week in an e-mail that he had a good feeling about the bill getting signed. He said pretty much the same thing this week.
“RFA is confident that the will of the coastal community will prevail, that Governor Christie will sign the legislation into law, and in turn help fast-track the review process to see to it that DEP and the Division of Fish and Wildlife promptly implement the new angler registry requirements,” said Donofrio in an e-mail this week, which was sent to RFA members in order to update them on the process.
The issue, as always, has been money. New Jersey severely underfunds its marine fisheries programs, to an extent that many believe costs us in terms of quota levels. But considering that New Jersey residents already pay some of the highest taxes in America, the angling community has perpetually stood up to defeat attempts to create a license in order to fund the state fisheries agency – and now, simultaneously administer the registry. The DEP has always wanted to kill two birds with one, costly license.
I count myself as one of those anglers fighting to keep saltwater fishing free in New Jersey. Undoubtedly, revenue generated from a fishing license in this state would be more likely to end up in a pet project du jour in Newark or Camden than anywhere near Barnegat Bay. Plus, with all of the tax revenue anglers inject into the state’s coffers, I’m sold on the fact that we anglers are fund-generators, not fund-consumers. We deserve some of that money invested back into our sport, and even if some supposedly “pro-fishing” groups feel as if we should pony up, I would argue that the tax-strapped anglers of the Garden State have already ponied up more than their fair share.

[gjb1969]

well let see what happens now :rolleyes: