Arizona - Off-highway vehicle legislation loses traction in Senate committee

[Len Backus]

PHOENIX — House Bill 2573, (also known as the off-highway vehicle, user fee bill) was defeated by a vote of 3-3 with one absent in the Arizona Senate Natural Resources and Rural Affairs Committee chaired by Senator Jake Flake (R-Snowflake) on March 19, 2008

House Bill 2573 would have provided resources to better manage Arizona’s growing off-highway vehicle (OHV) use while protecting wildlife habitat. OHVs have seen a 347 percent increase in usage in Arizona in the last few years, but law enforcement and trail development have lagged far behind. Through this legislation, dollars would have been provided by a nominal user fee to create new law enforcement positions, new land and habitat mitigation for damaged use areas, and better trail construction.