Bills › 90th General Assembly
Relating to the reservation of designated equestrian campgrounds, and making penalties applicable
Topics:Environment & natural resources
Same legislation: SF 529
Where it is now
- Done: IntroducedFebruary 22, 2023
- Done: SubcommitteeFebruary 22, 2023
- Done: Senate committeeMarch 6, 2023
- Skipped: Passes the SenateContinued as SF 529
- Next: House committee
- Next: Passes the House
- Next: To the Governor
- Next: Signed into law
Became SF 529 → Its progress continues under the new number. Go to SF 529 What’s a funnel?
What’s in it
AI summary People who want to camp with horses can now reserve special equestrian campgrounds up to three months in advance. Other campers are only allowed to make these same reservations up to two months before their trip. To use this earlier booking option, a person must promise and prove that they will be stabling horses during their stay.1
Read the official explanation
This bill relates to the reservation of designated equestrian campgrounds. The bill allows a person to reserve a designated equestrian campground not more than three months prior to the date of the reservation if the person attests during registration and proves upon checking in that the campground will be used to stable equine animals during the person’s stay at the campground. The bill prohibits any other person from reserving a designated equestrian campground more than two months prior to the date of the reservation. By operation of law, a violation of the bill is a simple misdemeanor. A simple misdemeanor is punishable by confinement for no more than days and a fine of at least $105 but not more than $855.
Senate subcommittee
Named February 22, 2023. On February 28, 2023 it recommended amendment and passage. [].
Three legislators hear a bill first and recommend what the committee should do; it’s the best time to weigh in. How to take part
1 written public comment to its subcommittee: February 28, 2023 (1) · on the Legislature’s site
Fiscal note
AI summary This bill allows people traveling with horses to reserve equestrian campground sites up to three months in advance, while all other campers are limited to two months. It also creates a new simple misdemeanor for people who reserve these sites early but do not actually stable animals during their stay. The fiscal impact of creating this new criminal offense cannot be estimated due to a lack of existing data.3
Read the fiscal note
Description
Senate File 529 allows a person to make a reservation at an equestrian campground three months in advance of the date of the person’s reservation if the person attests during registration, and proves upon check-in, that the person will stable equine animals during the person’s stay. Any other person may also make a reservation at an equestrian campground but may only do so up to two months in advance.
The Bill expands the list of simple misdemeanors relating to camping on public lands by including a violation if a person reserves an equestrian campground more than three months in advance, but does not use it to stable equine animals during a person’s stay.
Background
Currently, reservations for campgrounds can be made three months in advance. Both equestrian and nonequestrian campers may camp at equestrian campgrounds, and both may reserve a space in the three-month window. Equestrian campgrounds are sites that have amenities and trails for equine animals.
Assumptions
- The following will not change over the projection period: charge, conviction, and sentencing patterns and trends; prisoner length of stay (LOS); revocation rates; plea bargaining; and other criminal justice system policies and practices.
- A lag effect of six months is assumed from the effective date of this Bill to the date of first entry of affected offenders into the correctional system.
- Marginal costs for county jails cannot be estimated due to a lack of data. For purposes of this analysis, the marginal cost for county jails is assumed to be $50 per day.
Correctional Impact
Senate File 529 expands a simple misdemeanor. As a result, the correctional impact cannot be estimated due to a lack of existing data. In FY 2022, there were three violations related to camping on public lands. A conviction for a simple misdemeanor does not result in a prison sentence but does carry the possibility of confinement in jail for up to 30 days. Refer to the Legislative Services Agency (LSA) memo addressed to the General Assembly, Cost Estimates Used for Correctional Impact Statements, dated January 20, 2023, for information related to the correctional system.
Minority Impact
Senate File 529 expands an offense, and the minority impact cannot be determined due to a lack of conviction data. Refer to the LSA memo addressed to the General Assembly, Minority Impact Statement, dated January 20, 2023, for information related to minorities in the criminal justice system.
Fiscal Impact
The fiscal impact related to the creation of a new criminal offense cannot be estimated due to a lack of existing data. The average State cost for one simple misdemeanor conviction ranges from $35 to $375.
Sources
- Department of Natural Resources
- Division of Criminal and Juvenile Justice Planning, Department of Human Rights
- Legislative Services Agency
- Horse Trails · March 8, 2023
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90th General Assembly