John Braun: Something else we didn’t need — higher fees for fishing, hunting and parks
Friday, July 25, 2025
Republican legislators have rightfully focused on how majority Democrats just approved the largest tax package in Washington history, which will raise state and local taxes by a combined $12.2 billion over the next four years. Amazingly, the government’s desire for money didn’t end there.
Several fees went up as well. Some will affect the cost of things that can become necessities, like childcare and long-term care — but Democrats also raised the cost of hunting and fishing licenses by nearly 40%, along with a 50% increase in the cost for the Discover Pass, which is needed to use state parks and access many other public lands, including boat launches.
If you simply want to hunt for deer and elk, and fish both in freshwater and saltwater, it used to cost you a total of $103.10 for those particular combination licenses. Now it’s $166.29, meaning an increase of $63.19. That’s not counting multiple-season big-game tags, or a Puget Sound crab endorsement, or any other popular add-ons.
The Discover Pass annual fee doesn’t climb to $45 until Oct. 1, so you still have time to buy one for $30. The day pass will stay at $10.
It’s not clear why the majority did this, but it couldn’t have been for the money. The hike in hunting- and fishing-license fees is projected to cut sales by 11% over the next two years, limiting the net increase in revenue over that time to approximately $19.5 million.
The increase in the Discover Pass annual fee is expected to reduce demand by 15% in the first two years, which tamps the estimated revenue down to $10.3 million for that period.
While that $30 million in revenue is jackpot money at a household level, it isn’t particularly significant to the state’s new operating budget, which will spend approximately $78 billion for 2025-27.
All those higher fees for outdoor recreation will cover 4/100ths of 1% of state spending, or the equivalent of 4 cents against a $100 expense.
During this year’s legislative session, as Democrats trotted out one tax idea after another, Republicans tied them to a couple of themes. One is that the majority is looking to tax the fun out of living in Washington. The second stems from a 1920s-vintage economic theory: If you want less of something, tax it.
The Climate Commitment Act, which has already raised fuel prices by nearly 50 cents per gallon, is an example of this second theme — even though the state has no evidence that putting a tax on carbon emissions through the auction of “allowances” has benefited air quality in our state.
So is House Bill 1386, which Democrats filed this year to put an 11% tax specifically on firearms and ammunition. It died quickly in committee but will be available for consideration again in 2026.
Do members of the majority in our state want to see less hunting and fishing? Fewer hikers and picnickers? If so, they’re not saying it out loud, but that will be the result of these fee increases.
In contrast, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s website says hunting “remains a vital way of life for many residents and non-residents in Washington” and promotes the state as having “some of the best fishing opportunities in the nation.”
Not only are both statements true, but the agency also takes the unusual step of explicitly distancing itself from the license-fee increases, with this online declaration: “WDFW did not request this legislation. Although this bill increases revenue for the Department, most of the revenue is used to cover increased costs while the remainder of the revenue is used to offset State General Fund reductions as a fund swap.”
There’s a similar don’t-blame-us disclaimer on the state parks website, although it points at the Legislature when the fault belongs to the majority party alone: “Despite the Discover Pass fee increase, the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission (State Parks) will not see significant new revenue in the 2025-27 biennium. In response to the state’s budget shortfall, the Legislature reduced general fund appropriations and added new costs to the agency.”
If you get the sense that Democrats were simply looking for spare change between the couch cushions in addition to those $12.2 billion in new state and local taxes, here’s another example: on top of the 38% hike in the fishing-license fees, the majority Democrats resurrected a $7.50 Columbia River recreational salmon and steelhead endorsement fee that expired in 2019. The bill was proposed by three House Democrats from King County, and only Democrats voted to bring the fee back.
The higher fees for hunting, fishing and annual Discover Passes also are more examples of how Democrats complain about Washington’s tax code being disproportionately hard on lower-income families, then increase the taxes and fees that are harder on those same families.
As if all of this wasn’t too much already, the majority insisted on making sure Senate Bill 5583 — the license-fee legislation — allows the unelected members of the state Fish and Wildlife Commission to put a surcharge on license fees to “fund compensation, central service, and other increased operating costs.” This loophole could make for perpetual fee increases and prevent the question from ever coming directly in front of state lawmakers again.
Even if this isn’t about taxing the fun out of being a Washington resident, or discouraging hunting and fishing by making it too expensive, it’s fair to question whether the people are getting anything more in exchange for these higher fees.
Again, it didn’t have to be this way. There was no need for any of the new taxes and fees imposed on the people this year, as Senate Republicans proved with our “$ave Washington” budget. But again, Democrats said no — twice.
I don’t see how any other part of our state can compete with Southwest Washington for hunting, fishing and other outdoor recreation. We have an unbeatable combination of access to freshwater, saltwater, forests, mountains, and more, but unfortunately, Democrats have made getting there and enjoying it less affordable, for no good reason.
Fortunately, the majority here hasn’t followed the lead of Oregon, where a $20 permit will soon be required to legally use a kayak, raft or stand-up paddleboard. Break the rule and it will cost you $120.
A Seattle radio-program host joked that the headline for that decision should be “Oregon found population segment not yet taxed and corrected their mistake.” But if you own a kayak in Washington, watch out – government greed is a powerful force.
Republicans proved the $12.2 billion in additional taxes weren’t necessary; the higher fees for fishing, hunting and parks are something else we didn’t need. Washington has an affordability crisis, and Democrats just seem to make it worse. Legislators must do better.
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Sen. John Braun of Centralia serves the 20th Legislative District, which spans parts of four counties from Yelm to Vancouver. He became Senate Republican leader in 2020.