OLYMPIA, Wash. — This story was originally published on MyNorthwest.com.
It may soon become more expensive to visit Washington state parks.
Senate Bill 5390 would boost the cost of an annual Discover Pass from $30 to $45. State Sen. Derek Stanford is sponsoring the bill. He says the cost of the pass hasn’t gone up for a long time and needs to be adjusted for inflation.
The Discover Pass allows annual, unlimited access to millions of acres of state-managed parks and lands.
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Discover Pass hearing
“The Discover Pass fees have not been raised to account for inflation in quite a while,” Stanford said at a public hearing on the bill in January. “This bill will provide better funding for supporting our parks.”
Jeff Pack, with the group Washington Citizens Against Unfair Taxes, says lawmakers need to explain what people will get for their money in cases like this.
“Instead, it’s just ‘we need more money.’ Well, guess what? I need more money too,” Pack said. “I’m not an ATM where you just push a button and money comes out.”
Right now, there is no Senate floor vote scheduled for this bill, and it would also need to make it through the House.
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