The sustainable funding amendment bill has unanimously passed the Senate
Natural Resources and Environment committee.
The next steps are the full Senate and the House Natural Resources Committee it must be passed out of the House Natural Resources Committee by the next funnel deadline, March 28
The bill dedicates of 3/8 cent of the next sales tax increase to Iowa’s
natural resources in the Iowa Nature Resources and Outdoor Recreation
Trust Fund.
For many years, Iowa has failed to commit the funds necessary to protect
and enhance Iowa’s natural resources and outdoor recreation opportunities.
There are serious unmet needs before Iowa will have healthy water, land
and wildlife. This bill would commit approximately $150 million in funding
to those serious needs.
This funding would be constitutionally protected in the Natural Resources
and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund, audited annually and cannot be spent
for any other purpose.
As soon as the bill is filed, it will be renumbered as a Senate Joint
Resolution (**should be available 3/11 or 3/12). When that happens, the
text of the bill should also be available electronically.
IT IS ABSOLUTELY IMPERATIVE that we band together and contact our senators
and representatives asking them to support sustainable funding for our
conservation priorities!
Time to get this accomplished this legislative session is short we MUST
act NOW.
You can find contact information for your legislator at:
http://www.legis.state.ia.us/aspx/Legislators/LegislatorInfo.aspx
The members of the House Natural resources committee are:
Paul Bell (D, District 41), Chair
Dick Taylor (D, District 33), Vice Chair
Henry Rayhons (R, District 11), Ranking Member
Rich Arnold (R, District 72)
McKinley Bailey (D, District 9)
Clel Baudler (R, District 58 )
Mark Davitt (D, District 74)
Dan Huseman (R, District 53)
Steven Lukan (R, District 32)
Jim Lykam (D, District 85)
Dolores Mertz (D, District 8 )
Dan Rasmussen (R, District 23)
Nathan Reichert (D, District 80)
Paul Shomshor (D, District 100)
Chuck Soderberg (R, District 3)
Todd Taylor (D, District 34)
Linda Upmeyer (R, District 12)
Jim Van Engelenhoven (R, District 71)
Andrew Wenthe (D, District 18 )
John Whitaker (D, District 90)
Wes Whitead (D, District 1)
Their e-mail addresses follow the format of :
All I ask is that you CC me on the e-mail so I can keep track of our
progress [email protected]
If you belong to multiple conservation organizations you can expect
similar calls to action from them all!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP!!!
This will be the biggest piece of legislation in a generation for
conservation.
—
Jeremy Rosonke
Waterfowl Association of Iowa, Inc. NE regional director, Iowa Conservation Alliance Secretary
641-330-7486
Guys, I realize this might look a little fishy for a first post but I’ve been an occasional lurker here for a long time and this sustainable funding bill is just too important not to reach out to anyone I can. This will be the source of water quality and lake restoration dollars if it becomes law.