The state House and Senate are expected Thursday to reconcile bills that would provide funding for state parks through the sale of “recreational passports.”

State Rep. Mike Lahti, D-Hancock, was among those lawmakers who voted recently in the house to support the plan.

“The U.P. is blessed with beautiful state parks that draw in visitors from all over the state and nation,” Lahti said in a news release. “This plan will make it easier for motorists to enter Michigan parks and enjoy our special way of life. Many people flock to our parks looking for a place to relax, and this pass will give our visitors one less thing to worry about.”

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A license proposal that would charge Michigan drivers an optional $10 on license plate renewals could provide a great deal of new funding for Michigan State parks.

“What we’ve been hearing (is) as soon as they get through the budget, they plan to take it up,” said DNR Director Rebecca Humphries. “I don’t know if they’ll try and run it concurrent or they’ll wait until they get through the budget process

“It was the Citizens Parks Advisory Committee that really looked at a number of different funding models and they’ve been really the pushers and movers behind this legislation,” Humphries said. “They went out and got the bill sponsors for it and they’ve been really advocating for this whole Parks Passport System.”

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