Delegation of Northern Michigan lawmakers sent a letter to the DNR director Thursday condemning the underhanded fundraising techniques
State Rep. Ken Borton on Friday called out leadership at the Department of Natural Resources for their ongoing attempts to hike prices for Michigan residents wherever they see an opportunity. Borton joined nine of his colleagues from Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula in sending a letter to DNR Director Scott Bowen demanding his department cease their efforts to push additional costs onto outdoor enthusiasts.
“These deceiving efforts to boost their own bottom line just further expose DNR leadership’s long-term plan of stripping every ounce of joy from those who enjoy the outdoors,” said Borton, R-Gaylord. “Not only that, but now the DNR wants to trick people, many of whom live in the city and never have been to a state park, into purchasing year-long recreation passes. My wife and I love the recreation passes because we frequent state parks across Michigan, but we also love our freedom to opt-in to the program. No one should be automatically enrolled into a program they may be entirely unaware of.”
DNR leadership is currently pursuing fee hikes on hunting, fishing, and boating licenses, while also making a last-ditch attempt to strong-arm lawmakers into transitioning enrollment into annual recreation passports on license plates from an opt-in to opt-out model. Under the opt-out proposal, no more than 20% of the funding earned through recreational passports will go to local parks, the rest of the funding goes right back to the DNR.
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“House Republicans aren’t playing by the normal rules anymore, and that makes partisan hacks like Dana Nessel shake in their boots,” said Borton, R-Gaylord. “Instead of encouraging her own colleagues to consider legislation to address our concerns, she would rather threaten us with criminal charges for standing up for tipped workers and small businesses. Nessel should realize that we aren’t scared of her or her desperate attempts to weaponize the attorney general’s office as a last-ditch effort to extinguish what’s been a dumpster fire of a legislative term. Let her charge us; I want to look her in the eye in court while she tries to argue how my sticking up for restaurant workers and small businesses is a dereliction of duty.”
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