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Alert!!!!!! There is a proposal being considered within the Indiana Legislature to divert dedicated funds such as your hunting license money back into the General Fund in order to balance the State's budget. This proposal has extremely serious consequences for your hunting and fishing future!!!
We all know that the state has a major budget crisis, but we cannot let them take our license money and move it over to the General Fund, or we will loose a large majority of the value that we get from these funds such as habitat construction, wildlife management, conservation officers, etc.
Along with the regular hunting and fishing license moneys, other funds being considered for diversion into the General Fund include the funds from the purchase of environmental license plates, money donated in the state income tax checkoff for non-game management, state park entry fees, and others. (See list below).
Without your IMMEDIATE CALLS to your state legislators, and to Governor O'Bannon, DNR could in fact cease to operate as we know it. This is a real threat, and please let your outdoorsman friends know this also so that they can call.
I have included a list of the funds and the amounts of money in jeopardy below. Please call today to voice your displeasure with this 'raiding' of our license monies that we willingly paid with the understanding that these would be used to benefit our state's natural resources, and not to be spent elsewhere at the legislature's whim!
Governor O'Bannon's office 317-232-4567. Contact your representative and senator at the state house! House of Representatives-800-382-9842 (House Switchboard) 317-232-9600 State Senate -800-382-9400 (Senate Switchboard) 317-232-9467 Please call ASAP! Our resources and Indiana's natural wildlife heritage depend on YOU! Thank you! Gene Hopkins
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What is happening? A proposal has been made to revert to the state general fund money Hoosiers have paid in fees and donations to support specific state government programs and services. The stated purpose would be to temporarily fix a state budget deficit caused by the national recession.
Where would this money come from? And how could state programs and services be affected?
The DNR has more than 20 dedicated fund accounts. Hoosiers could find that the money they have paid for a hunting license, to enter a state park, to camp, or even donations to purchase an environmental license plate or protect endangered wildlife has been taken away to pay for other government services. So what happens to the DNR services and programs Hoosiers have paid for? Money people have spent for recreation, programs and services provided by the DNR would be gone and - at best- replaced with an IOU. Without the dedicated funds, many DNR-managed facilities could be closed - state parks, forests, reservoirs and fish and wildlife areas. The Indiana Heritage Trust could have no money to purchase and protect natural areas for recreation and wildlife. Snowmobile trails could be closed. Conservation officers - an important part of Indiana's safety network could be laid off. And more.
Listed below are some of the dedicated program funds that could be affected by this proposal:
DNR Dedicated Funds Deer Research Funding Source: non resident deer licenses Annual Revenue -$ 125,000 Use of Funds: deer research and management
Game Bird Habitat Funding Source: nonresident deer license, and game bird license Annual Revenue - $ 500,000 Use of Funds: increase the upland game bird population
Fish & Wildlife Fund Funding Source: license fees, Federal apportionment Annual Revenue - $21,000,000 Use of Funds: protecting, propagating game, fish, and birds, paying operational expenses of the divisions of F&W and Law Enforcement, administering the turn in a poacher program. Law Enforcement Fund Funding Source : 51% GF, 49% F &W dedicated fund Annual dedicated revenue : Approx. $10,000,000 transfer from F&W Fund Fish & Wildlife Lifetime License Funding Sources: lifetime fishing and hunting license Annual Revenue - $900,000 (FY 02 fee increase promoted extensive lifetime license growth, $10,000,000. This annual source of revenue is now permanently removed from the Fish and Wildlife fund. Use of Funds: on 7/1 annually, all of the accumulated earnings and 2 % of the money in the fund, less the accumulated earnings transferred to the fish & wildlife fund. Snowmobile/ ORV Fund Funding Source: dedicated snowmobile and off road vehicle license fees Annual Revenue - $ 150,000 Use of Funds: enforcement, constructing and maintaining ORV/snowmobile trails
Nongame Fund Funding Source: state income tax check off, private donations Annual Revenue - $400,000 Use of Funds: protection, conservation, management and identification of nongame and endangered species of wildlife through the acquisition of natural habitat Lake & River Enhancement Funding Source: dedicated fee from motorboat license Annual Revenue - $ 1,100,000 Use of Funds: administer lake and river enhancement program to control sediment and nutrient inflow into lakes and rivers and forestall or reverse the impact of that inflow State Parks Funding Source: 57% recreation fees,lert!!!!!! There is a proposal being considered within the Indiana Legislature to divert dedicated funds such as your hunting license money back into the General Fund in order to balance the State's budget. This proposal has extremely serious consequences for your hunting and fishing future!!!
We all know that the state has a major budget crisis, but we cannot let them take our license money and move it over to the General Fund, or we will loose a large majority of the value that we get from these funds such as habitat construction, wildlife management, conservation officers, etc.
Along with the regular hunting and fishing license moneys, other funds being considered for diversion into the General Fund include the funds from the purchase of environmental license plates, money donated in the state income tax checkoff for non-game management, state park entry fees, and others. (See list below).
Without your IMMEDIATE CALLS to your state legislators, and to Governor O'Bannon, DNR could in fact cease to operate as we know it. This is a real threat, and please let your outdoorsman friends know this also so that they can call.
I have included a list of the funds and the amounts of money in jeopardy below. Please call today to voice your displeasure with this 'raiding' of our license monies that we willingly paid with the understanding that these would be used to benefit our state's natural resources, and not to be spent elsewhere at the legislature's whim!
Governor O'Bannon's office 317-232-4567. Contact your representative and senator at the state house! House of Representatives-800-382-9842 (House Switchboard) 317-232-9600 State Senate -800-382-9400 (Senate Switchboard) 317-232-9467 Please call ASAP! Our resources and Indiana's natural wildlife heritage depend on YOU! Thank you! Gene Hopkins
*******************************************************
**********************
What is happening? A proposal has been made to revert to the state general fund money Hoosiers have paid in fees and donations to support specific state government programs and services. The stated purpose would be to temporarily fix a state budget deficit caused by the national recession.
Where would this money come from? And how could state programs and services be affected?
The DNR has more than 20 dedicated fund accounts. Hoosiers could find that the money they have paid for a hunting license, to enter a state park, to camp, or even donations to purchase an environmental license plate or protect endangered wildlife has been taken away to pay for other government services. So what happens to the DNR services and programs Hoosiers have paid for? Money people have spent for recreation, programs and services provided by the DNR would be gone and - at best- replaced with an IOU. Without the dedicated funds, many DNR-managed facilities could be closed - state parks, forests, reservoirs and fish and wildlife areas. The Indiana Heritage Trust could have no money to purchase and protect natural areas for recreation and wildlife. Snowmobile trails could be closed. Conservation officers - an important part of Indiana's safety network could be laid off. And more.
Listed below are some of the dedicated program funds that could be affected by this proposal:
DNR Dedicated Funds Deer Research Funding Source: non resident deer licenses Annual Revenue -$ 125,000 Use of Funds: deer research and management
Game Bird Habitat Funding Source: nonresident deer license, and game bird license Annual Revenue - $ 500,000 Use of Funds: increase the upland game bird population
Fish & Wildlife Fund Funding Source: license fees, Federal apportionment Annual Revenue - $21,000,000 Use of Funds: protecting, propagating game, fish, and birds, paying operational expenses of the divisions of F&W and Law Enforcement, administering the turn in a poacher program. Law Enforcement Fund Funding Source : 51% GF, 49% F &W dedicated fund Annual dedicated revenue : Approx. $10,000,000 transfer from F&W Fund Fish & Wildlife Lifetime License Funding Sources: lifetime fishing and hunting license Annual Revenue - $900,000 (FY 02 fee increase promoted extensive lifetime license growth, $10,000,000. This annual source of revenue is now permanently removed from the Fish and Wildlife fund. Use of Funds: on 7/1 annually, all of the accumulated earnings and 2 % of the money in the fund, less the accumulated earnings transferred to the fish & wildlife fund. Snowmobile/ ORV Fund Funding Source: dedicated snowmobile and off road vehicle license fees Annual Revenue - $ 150,000 Use of Funds: enforcement, constructing and maintaining ORV/snowmobile trails
Nongame Fund Funding Source: state income tax check off, private donations Annual Revenue - $400,000 Use of Funds: protection, conservation, management and identification of nongame and endangered species of wildlife through the acquisition of natural habitat Lake & River Enhancement Funding Source: dedicated fee from motorboat license Annual Revenue - $ 1,100,000 Use of Funds: administer lake and river enhancement program to control sediment and nutrient inflow into lakes and rivers and forestall or reverse the impact of that inflow State Parks Funding Source: 57% recreation fees,[ 43% GF Annual Revenue - $10,000,000 Use of Funds: operation of state parks
Indiana Heritage Trust Fund Funding Source: environmental license plate, Annual License Plate Revenue $2,000,000 Use of Funds: acquisition of real property for new and existing state parks, forests, nature preservers, fish and wildlife areas, wetlands, trails and river corridors
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