URGENT -- Your call or email needed TODAY: Funding for Natural Resources Facing Stiff Opposition in Iowa House
By Leigh Adcock

Take Action!

Please Call or Email Your Representative Today!

SJR 2002, a bill which establishes a trust fund to protect our natural resources and invest in outdoor recreation, passed the House Natural Resources Committee on March 24, and will be up for a vote in the House as early as Wednesday, March 26.  Your calls, emails and letters to your Representatives are needed NOW.

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, SJR 2002, is an important initial step helping us reverse this trend. It establishes a trust fund to protect our natural resources and invest in outdoor recreation by amending Iowa's constitution to guarantee that revenue generated by the next 3/8 of one cent increase in Iowa's sales tax must be dedicated to protect and enhance water quality, natural areas including parks and trails, fish and wildlife habitat, and soil conservation.

The fund would be constitutionally protected in the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund, audited annually and cannot be spent for any other purpose.

SJR 2002 is the result of two years of research and study led by bi-partisan members of the Iowa legislature along with many of the state's leading conservation, environmental, sportsmen, and agriculture advocates.

It is important to understand what this legislation does and what it doesn't do...
What it does
* It ensures that IF the legislature raises the sales tax, 3/8 of a cent must be dedicated to enhancing our state's natural resources What it doesn't do
* This bill does not raise taxes, nor does it give voters the ability to raise the sales tax-only the legislature can do that.
* Even if this constitutional amendment is adopted, only the legislature can approve the sales tax increase that would be needed to provide funding

This bill was has already passed the Senate, but is facing stiff opposition in the House. Please call or email your representative today and tell him or her that this constitutional amendment is a promise to Iowans of healthier water quality and wildlife and a top-notch system of parks and trails. It's our promise that Iowa's natural resources will be here for future generations.