Millions of $$ fees that hunters and fisherman pay that is intended for DNR use can now be taken away for Drug Rehab.Last night the Governor “quietly” signed SB790 into law. This robbed $9 Million from hunter and angler fees and will steal an additional $15 Million annually in Federal Aid to DNR unless it gets fixed. The bolded text below gives some hope that the Governor’s office is considering not sweeping the illegal funds (remember – this bill gives the Governor the authority). We need to up the pressure to the Governor with basically the same message as before. Don’t’ sweep the sportsman’s accounts (Habitat, Pheasant, Duck, Fish and Wildlife Endowment, Wildlife and Fish, Habitat Endowment).
With your help we can “encourage” the Governor to leave those accounts alone. I also assume that now that this has passed the US Fish and Wildlife Service will be sending the Governor an official notice that the sweeps are illegal and the consequences (I’ll keep working on that).
Every hunter and conservationist should be outraged knowing that the user fee they paid so the DNR can manage the wildlife resources and provide quality experiences is now headed to a drug treatment program and that the state will be losing millions more for habitat.
Call the Governor. 217-782-6830. When I called I asked to share my opinion about the signing of SB790. When I was redirected I said:
My name is Matt Bradshaw and I am a hunter, angler, and member of Pheasants Forever. I am disappointed the Governor signed SB790 which swept dedicated funds from 6 dedicated sportsman’s accounts tied to federal aid. I would like to encourage the Governor to review those funds and remove them from the sweeps so not to cost the state an additional $15 Million a year in federal aid.
The person on the other end of the phone said – thank you, your opinion has been noted and will be shared with Senior Policy staff.
Lets tie up the Governor’s line for the next week – daily calls are encouraged. Let me know when someone gets a nasty response.
A similar plea will be posted on our state website soon.
Taken from St. Journal Register…
Gov. Rod Blagojevich has quietly approved the funding bill to restore more than $220 million in state budget cuts, but not acted yet on the measure to actually restore the spending cuts. Blagojevich on Tuesday evening signed into law Senate Bill 790. That is the bill authorizing more than $220 million in “fund sweeps,” or taking money out of state funds dedicated for special purposes. Blagojevich spokeswoman Kelley Quinn provided a statement about the signing this morning but did not say why the governor didn’t announce the signing Tuesday. “The governor did sign the funds sweep bill yesterday. However, there are some funds included in the bill that agencies have expressed concern over. At this point, we don't know how much will actually be available, so it's too soon to say how far this money will go,” Quinn said in the statement. Quinn said the governor had not decided yet what action to take on Senate Bill 1103. That’s the measure lawmakers approved last month to restore spending so two-dozen state parks and historic sites wouldn’t have to close and hundreds of state workers wouldn’t be laid off. Blagojevich now has until early December to decide what to do with that bill. “At this point, we have to see how much money is available to spend,” Quinn said.
Matt Bradshaw
Regional Wildlife Biologist
Pheasants Forever, Inc.
113 Chickasaw Lane
Loda, IL 60948
Direct: (217) 386-4324
Cell: (217) 379-7014
Fax: (217) 386-4324
mbradshaw@pheasantsforever.org
www.pheasantsforever.org
