No More Budget Cuts to Sportsmen's Programs
Dear Representative,
I am a Georgia sportsman and a Georgia voter who lives in your district! Sportsmen are the original conservationists and since the 1930s have continually paid for conservation funding with our license fees, boat registrations, and excise tax on equipment purchases. Yet, once again we face cuts in programs important to us.
As Georgia hunters and anglers, with our license fees we pay two-thirds of the state funding for wildlife management via the Wildlife Resources Division of DNR, but we are suffering cuts to 100% of the WRD budget. This is money we pay in for the enjoyment of our outdoor traditions; the other third comes from general funds. To be fair, only 1/3 of the state appropriations should be eligible for budget cuts. Making cuts to the 2/3 we pay in combination with the 1/3 of general funds for cuts is UNFAIR and UNACCEPTABLE.
We bring real SOLUTIONS and believe we are already contributing to offset the states budget shortfall. First, in 1987, Georgia hunters and anglers supported a hunting and fishing license increase that totaled $4.5 million to purchase land for Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) and Public Fishing Areas (PFAs). The state sold $30 million in bonds. These bonds were retired in 2007 and the $4.5 million continues to flow into the State Treasury.
Next, the recent abolition of the reciprocal license agreement with Florida will conservatively result in a $500,000+ increase to the state. Third, through the new license system no transaction fees will be paid by the state to license vendors, resulting in an additional $800,000+ to the State Treasury and a savings of approximately $300,000 in salaried positions. All the license fees being received by the state and all the new savings MUST BE been considered in the Governors budget cutting strategy.
Remember that 1 out of 6 residents hunt or fish. Total spending by Georgias 1.1 million hunters and fishermen annually is $1.8 billion which amounts to approximately $5 million a day. Hunting and fishing in Georgia generates $198 million in state and local taxes annually. Dont kill the goose that lays the golden egg.
As a Georgia sportsman, I want you to immediately contact the elected leadership of the State of Georgia (the Governor, Lt. Governor, the Speaker and both the Senate and House Appropriation Chairmen) and tell them that additional cuts to WRD are not warranted and MUST STOP. Other revenue sources are the solution to balancing the books.
Georgia sportsmen are providing the funding for our programs, and we are recommending solutions for the current budget situation. Please make my voice heard in the decision process that is already underway.
Sincerely,
Your name and address here
