NEWS RELEASES
Michigan Adds State Park Passport To Auto Registration Fees
Editor's Note: This news item was retrieved and first published through MLive's website.
MLive.com, a Michigan news resource, reports that a bill passed by the Michigan Senate will automatically add a state park recreation passport fee to annual registration fees for all vehicles and motorcycles in the state. The fees, $11 for vehicles and $6 for motorcycles, were previously available to motorists as an option when renewing their tags. The new law allows motorists to opt out of the fees when renewing. Without the passport, vehicles are charged $16 and motorcycles $11 to enter a Michigan state park.
Funds raised through the recreation passports go mostly to state parks for improvements, operations and maintenance, as well as to local public recreation facilities, forest recreation and to preserve natural resources. MLive reports that the optional passport registration, which had a 33 percent participation rate in the state, brought in $29 million in the 2016-17 fiscal year. The new opt-out system still has to pass the Michigan House and be signed by the governor.
Read the complete story on the MLive website.