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BILL # SB 1050 |
TITLE: veterans; lifetime state park pass |
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SPONSOR: Rogers |
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PREPARED BY: Nate Belcher |
STATUS: As amended by Senate ATT |
As amended by Senate ATT, SB 1050 would allow veterans with military retirement or with a service-connected disability who have lived in Arizona for at least 12 months to be issued a lifetime pass granting free entry to all state parks for the veteran and vehicle occupants or for an additional 3 persons at sites that charge by person.
Estimated Impact
We estimate that the bill would result in decreased annual revenues to the State Parks Revenue Fund (SPRF) of at least approximately $(200,000) beginning in FY 2027 from day passes and annual passes that would have otherwise been purchased by retired veterans or veterans with a service disability rated under 100%. The bill would not impact the General Fund.
Arizona State Parks and Trails (ASPT) does not have a cost estimate for the proposal.
Our estimate assumes the following:
1) Currently, a day pass costs $10 for 1 person, or $20 for a vehicle (with 2-4 persons) at most parks with no charge for children under 6. ASPT sells annual passes for $200 that allow entry to all state parks for up to 4 people. There is no discounted annual pass for veterans. ASPT provides discounted or free day passes (excluding Kartchner Caverns) that allow entry for a qualified veteran and up to 3 accompanied adults as follows: 1) Half-price day pass for a retired veteran or a veteran with a service-connected disability rated less than 100%; 2) Free day pass for veteran with a 100% service-connected disability.
2) The U.S. Census estimates Arizona's adult population is 5,513,138.
3) Based on U.S. Veteran Affairs data, there are 35,714 veterans, or 0.6% of Arizona's adult population, with a 100% service disability rating that can already receive free day passes.
4) Based on federal data, we anticipate that veterans with a service disability rating other than 100% or with military retirement account for 2.8% of park visitors.
o There are 113,448 veterans with a service disability rating lower than 100% according to U.S. Veterans Administration data, or 2.1% of Arizona's adult population.
o According to Department of Defense data, there are 40,315 non-disabled military retirees in Arizona, or 0.7% of Arizona's adult population.
5) We anticipate lost revenue of $(130,800) based on ASPT's projected revenue of $9,342,000 in FY 2026. Assuming 2.8% of revenue is generated from military retirees or veterans with a service disability rating lower than a 100%, these visitors account for $261,600 of total collections. To adjust for the availability of half-priced day use passes, we assume a loss of half this amount, or $(130,800), under the bill.
6) Arizona State Parks collected $2,287,600 for annual passes in FY 2025. The reduction of 2.8% of this revenue would account for a loss of $(64,100).
7) Adding the $(130,800) of reduced day pass revenue and the $(64,100) of reduced annual pass revenue, we reach a final estimated revenue loss of $(194,900) per year, which we round to $(200,000).
8) ASPT raised the fee rates for both day and annual passes on Feb. 25, 2025. For this reason, we anticipate the revenue loss may be higher than the above estimate.
3/4/26