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Written by Jim Hutchinson, Jr
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Tuesday, 18 January 2011 12:01 |
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RFA-NJÂ CALLS ON COASTAL COMMUNITY TO GET INVOLVEDÂ
NJ & PA Anglers Ask Governor Christie To Sign
A823/S1122
Â
The Recreational Fishing Alliance
(RFA) is urging its New Jersey and Pennsylvania members to act now in support of
saltwater registry legislation now resting on Governor Chris Christie's
desk. Passed unanimously in the New Jersey Senate in December as
Senate Bill 2211 (S1122), the legislation was amended slightly by the Assembly
on January 6, 2011 as Assembly Bill 823 (A823), and now requires the Governor's
signature in order for the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to act.
"We were able to clear this
legislation through various committees and get it passed by both the Senate and
Assembly because of phone calls and faxes, and now it looks as though our
coastal community is going to have to speak out in force in order for the
Governor to sign it," said RFA Executive Director Jim Donofrio.
"The registry opponents have tried desperately to sabotage this
legislation, but our RFA members and coastal business owners were not about to
sit back and let that happen without a fight, not then and definitely not now,"
he said.
Donofrio said the RFA's New
Jersey chapter (RFA-NJ) has been active in supporting saltwater angler registry
legislation ever since federal law was changed in 2007 to call for a virtual
phonebook of saltwater anglers nationwide. Â "It's a simple
requirement that's had overwhelming support in our community and throughout the
state legislature," Donofrio said. Â
RFA is urging coastal
anglers and business owners to visit the RFA homepage at www.joinrfa.org to download and print out a copy of
the letter to Governor Christie which can be faxed to his attention at
609-292-3454.
To download the fax
directly, visit www.joinrfa.org/Press/RFARegistryfax2011.pdf.
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Written by Recreational Fishing Alliance
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Tuesday, 14 December 2010 16:07 |
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Budget Committee Sends S1122/A823 For Full Senate Vote As Early As 12/20
December 14, 2010 - This morning in Committee Room 4 on the 1st floor of
the State House Annex in Trenton, the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee
voted unanimously to send S1122 (and its Assembly companion bill A823) to the
Senate for a full vote. According to the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA),
the committee's vote today means the Senate could vote on New Jersey's saltwater
registry bill as early as December 20.
According RFA Executive Director Jim Donofrio who testified before the
committee in support of the legislation, all eleven Senate committee members who
heard statements today from both sides easlily saw the fiscal benefits of the
legislation and found complete consensus with regard to the merits of the
bills. Â
"The legislators who have supported the free registry have made it very
clear that there's no place for a saltwater fee in New Jersey," Donofrio said.Â
"It's quite obvious that the Senators and Assembly representatives from various
committees are in unanimous consent that a free saltwater registry is the way to
move forward at this time, and we're very thankful for the democratic process,"
he added.
Sponsored by Sen. Jeff Van Drew (D-Cape May) and Sen. Jennifer Beck (R-Red
Bank), S1122 would require the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
(DEP) to maintain a free annual saltwater registry program to meet the new
federal mandate for data collection, allowing New Jersey's coastal fishermen to
avoid paying a $15 federal registration fee beginning January 1. The bill was
approved unanimously in the Senate Environment Committee last week.
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Read more...
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Written by Gary Cuputi
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Thursday, 09 December 2010 11:41 |
Just got a call from Jim Hutchinson from the RFA. He was in Trenton at
the Senate committee hearing this morning with Jim Donofrio. Senator
Smith finally bowing to pressure put the free angler registry
legislation up for a committee vote and it passed unanimously with only
Senator Smith abstaining!
Senator Van Drew provided extremely
well documented testimony detailing the importance of recreational
saltwater fishing to the state, the millions it generated in tax
revenue, the money the state receives from the federal Wallop-Breaux
Funds and how it is designated and how important fishing is to the shore
area and overall state economy. He hit every salient point perfectly
and backed it up with the facts putting everyone on the committee at
ease with the decision to support the legislation. 
Hutch
and Jim Donofrio asked me to extend to all of you who wrote, emailed
and called your State Senators and those who took time to attend today's
meeting in Trenton a BIG THANK YOU!
We are facing so many issues
that are aimed at destroying recreational fishing in saltwater and when
we pull together we can get things done.
The legislation is
slated for a floor vote in the Senate before the end of the year, where
it is expect to pass handily. If one of your representatives is on the
committee, call their office and thank them for their actions today. If
not, call you state senator and tell them to vote for the legislation
when it comes to the floor next week.
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Written by Jim Hutchinson, Jr.
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Monday, 29 November 2010 12:15 |
RFA-NJ ACTION ALERT - ANGLERS URGED TO SUPPORT S1122
November 29, 2010 - Starting January 1, saltwater
fishermen in New Jersey will be required to pay $15 to the federal government in
order to fish upon state coastal waters. To avoid the fee, New Jersey need only
pass Senate Bill number S1122 which is now resting in the Senate Environment
Committee chaired by Piscataway Democrat Senator Robert Smith. An Assembly
version (A823) has already passed (54-16) which would allow the state to apply
for "exempted state designation from the federal registration requirements" and
would require the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to
maintain a free annual registry program to meet the new federal mandate for data
collection.Â
Surfcasters, boaters, tackle shops, party and charter boat
captains, marina owners, and livery operators up and down the Jersey Shore have
openly supported S1122, and the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) and our
allies in the coastal community have spent three years pushing to get this
registry legislation passed on their behalf. In recent months, we've met with a
number of legislators including both Senators and Assembly representatives, and
have found there's overwhelming support in Trenton to get S1122 out of
committee; RFA has even heard from the Governor's own staff on their commitment
to fulfilling a campaign pledge to not implement any new taxes on New Jersey
residents, which is precisely what a fee to fish will be.........
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