OLYMPIA – The legislature approved changes today to the Discover Pass system that reflect the public’s feedback and make the pass more user-friendly.
House Bill 2373, co-sponsored by Representatives Kevin Van De Wege (D – Sequim) and Steve Tharinger(D – Dungeness), is meant to make the Discover Pass work better and bring in more revenue to keep state parks open. It has passed both the House and Senate and awaits the governor’s signature.
“The issue of transferability was the top complaint from the public, and we take care of that with this bill,” Van De Wege said.
The Discover Pass is an annual pass that permits a vehicle to park at state parks and recreation lands. When it debuted last year, those who purchased the pass were dismayed to find out that each pass could only be associated with one vehicle license plate. And while the pass was touted as a great gift idea, because it went into effect on the date of purchase people were reluctant to buy it too far in advance.
Pass sales have been below expectations, which has created a shortfall in the park system’s budget.
“There haven’t been any park closures yet, but there have been deep cuts to park staffing and maintenance,” Tharinger said. “With these changes, we’ve hopefully avoided further cuts and created more stability in our parks funding.”
The bill allows transferability of the standard annual pass between two vehicles, and creates a new “family pass” that is fully transferable between multiple vehicles, similar to the Northwest Forest Pass.
Those who purchase the Discover Pass as a gift can designate the date it should go into effect, so recipients aren’t shorted on a full year of park access.
Another change the bill addresses is private events held at state parks facilities, such as weddings or family reunions. If a rental fee is already being paid for use of the facility, those who attend do not need to also purchase a pass.
The state parks system is facing severe financial challenges as it grapples with the loss of state general fund money and moves to a user fee system. Last year, Washington joined 44 other states that already have user fees to access state parks. Oregon, Idaho, and California state parks all require the purchase of an annual or day pass for entry.