U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance

Sportsmen Alert!

For information about the following message, please contact:

U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance

801 Kingsmill Parkway, Columbus, OH 43229

Phone: 614 888-4868 Fax: 614 888-0326

Email: info@ussportsmen.org Website: www.ussportsmen.org



April 7, 2005



Sportsmen’s Dollars in Jeopardy - Calls Needed!

Rally Planned for Tuesday at the Statehouse



The Ohio House of Representatives is preparing to vote on a budget bill that will cost Ohio sportsmen millions of Wildlife Fund dollars, severely crippling the effectiveness of the Ohio Division of Wildlife (DOW).



The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance (USSA) and Ohio hunters, trappers and anglers are frustrated, and frankly angry, that the House has not committed to preventing sportsmen’s dollars from being diverted from the DOW Wildlife Fund to pay for other government programs.



The diversion will cost $3.6 million over the new budget cycle. This will result in higher license fees and less habitat for wildlife.



More than 20 years ago, the administration of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) was funded with general tax dollars. During a tough budget cycle, similar to the current situation, the government, looking for additional dollars, came up with a scheme called Central Support. It was billed as simply having the divisions within the department pay their share of administrative costs to the DNR. Instead of the DNR receiving direct funding for administrative costs as it had in the past, charges were divided up into portions assessed to each division. It was billed as “each division pays its fair share.â€



The real agenda was to allow the government to have access to the dedicated sources of funding in the Wildlife Fund and the Waterway Safety Fund. The administrative costs of the remaining DNR divisions continued to be funded with general tax dollars.



Ohio sportsmen rightly objected. Because the Wildlife Fund is comprised of monies from the sale of hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses and taxes on sporting equipment, sportsmen have vigilantly fought to prevent diversions to pay for other government programs. As taxpayers, they saw this as double taxation.



In response to these concerns, the legislature agreed to pay for the DOW’s share like the other divisions, and it passed a law that protected these dollars for the future.



In 2003, this protective language was eliminated.



The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and its allies have been working to persuade legislators to pass an amendment to fully fund Central Support from general tax dollars and restore the protective language. Initially, many legislators seemed agreeable to the idea. However, the budget vote looms and the protective language and funding are not included.



“We cannot get a commitment from many of the legislators who claim to be allies of Ohio sportsmen,†said Rob Sexton, USSA vice president for government affairs. “While sportsmen have some friends in the Statehouse, we don’t know where we stand with most of them on this extremely important issue. Believe me when I say that legislators will be hearing from Ohio’s two million sportsmen who will ask one simple question…are you with us?â€



The USSA is calling on legislators to support the protection of sportsmen’s dollars and to pay the costs of DOW’s Central Support as it does for other DNR divisions. The Alliance is sending thousands of postcards and e-mails and is making phone calls to sportsmen across Ohio to encourage them to contact their legislators.



Take Action! Ohio sportsmen must contact their legislators today and tell them to protect Ohio sportsmen’s dollars from being robbed to pay for other government programs. To leave a message for your representative, call (800) 282-0253. Sportsmen can also find their legislators using the Legislative Action Center at www.ussportsmen.org.
Ohio sportsmen are also urged to attend a Rally in the Rotunda at the Statehouse on Tuesday, April 12 at 10:00 AM. They should wear an orange cap so that legislators can identify them as sportsmen.



The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance protects the rights of hunters, anglers and trappers in the courts, legislatures, at the ballot, in Congress and through public education programs. For more information about the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and its work, call (614) 888-4868 or visit its website, www.ussportsmen.org.

THE AMENDMENT REGARDING CENTRAL SUPPORT WAS NOT ACCEPTED IN TIME FOR TOMORROWS AGENDA AND IT WILL BE INTRODUCED ON THE FLOOR!



If you do not know who your representatives are, there is a link below, get their number and call them at their Columbus office. All you have to do is enter your zip code. http://www.house.state.oh.us/jsps/Representatives.jsp