File No. 354

House of Representatives, April 4, 2006

The Committee on Environment reported through REP. ROY of the 119th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on the part of the House, that the substitute bill ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING OPEN SPACE AND HORSES.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. (NEW) (Effective from passage) The Department of Environmental Protection, in consultation with interest groups that support trail riding on public lands, shall convene a working group to study and recommend opportunities to offer trail riding on horseback in state parks or on open spaces funded by state funds.

The following fiscal impact statement and bill analysis are prepared for the benefit of members of the General Assembly, solely for the purpose of information, summarization, and explanation, and do not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either House thereof for any purpose:

OFA Fiscal Note

State Impact:

Note: GF=General Fund

Municipal Impact: None

Explanation

It is anticipated that requiring the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to create a working group to study and recommend opportunities to offer trail riding in state parks or on state funded open space would increase costs to the DEP. It is estimated that a study could cost the DEP an additional $50,000. However, due to the lack of specificity including no timeframe, the impact is indeterminate.

The Out Years

The ongoing fiscal impact is unclear at this time.



OLR Bill Analysis

sHB 5449

AN ACT CONCERNING OPEN SPACE AND HORSES.

SUMMARY:

This bill requires the Department of Environmental Protection, in consultation with interest groups that support trail riding on public lands, to create a working group to study and recommend opportunities to offer horseback trail riding in state parks or on state-funded open spaces.

EFFECTIVE DATE: Upon passage

COMMITTEE ACTION

Environment Committee

Joint Favorable Substitute