Bell Announces "Good Steward" Parks and Wildlife Protection Plan

Bell Announces "Good Steward" Parks and Wildlife Protection Plan

Calls for Moratorium on State Park Sales, End to Raid on Hunting and Fishing Fund

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Chris Bell called for a moratorium on the sale and privatization of Texas' state parks and outlined his "Good Steward" plan for immediate and permanent restoration of funding to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). Bell's announcement came days after the TPWD cut an additional $14.2 million and 117 full-time positions from their proposed budget. Rick Perry requested these cuts, despite promising to end his raid on parks and wildlife funding last month.

"Trusting Rick Perry to fix the problem with parks and wildlife parks is like trusting an arsonist to put out a fire he started himself," said Bell. "When I'm governor, we're not going to sell off our parks because once they're gone, we can't get them back."

The Texas State Parks Advisory Committee will release its final recommendations on parks and wildlife funding this Thursday, Aug. 24, 2006. The committee has been exploring the sale and privatization of state park lands as future funding sources. Bell's moratorium would ban the sale and privatization of any state park land until the Legislature convenes and has the time to debate the issue. Perry recently called such efforts to limit the sale of state park lands "bad public policy."

"We don't have to wait for the next legislative session to address the funding crisis facing parks and wildlife. And with hunting season right around the corner, we shouldn't have to."

Bell called on Rick Perry to redirect money from his Texas Enterprise Fund that was appropriated for FY06 but has yet to be spent. As of Jun. 30, 2006, $126 million remains in the fund which could provide immediate relief to crisis in parks and wildlife funding.

Much of the funding crisis stems from Rick Perry's habitual raid on the TPWD's dedicated sources of revenue: the sporting goods tax, TPWD license plates, park improvement bonds, and state and local park accounts. Texas sportsmen paid over $78 million in 2005 for state hunting and fishing license fees under the assumption that their fees would support Texas' hunting and wildlife management agencies. Over half of this amount, around $60 million, was deliberately left unappropriated in the Game, Fish and Water Safety Account to help balance the state budget.

"Sportsmen are some of the best conservationists that Texas has, and they gladly pay that money because they think it goes to fund game wardens and hunting and fishing areas," said Bell. "It's our money, and not using it for the state purpose is fraud. When I'm Governor, if we're going to take a dollar from a Texan, we're going to spend it the way we promised."

Last month, Chris Bell called for raising the cap on the sporting goods tax and the full appropriation of any bonds or funds collected and dedicated by Texas taxpayers to the TPWD during his State Parks Tour. He also proposed a constitutional amendment to protect hunting and fishing habitats in Texas.

Chris Bell's "Good Steward" Parks and Wildlife Protection Plan includes:

* A moratorium on the sale and privatization of Texas' State Parks
* Immediate funding of TPWD from Enterprise Fund
* Fully appropriating funds dedicated Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
* Keep Texas' state parks open, especially the Texas State Railroad
* A constitutional amendment to protect hunting and fishing habitats in Texas

Bell's "Good Steward" parks and wildlife protection plan is available at http://www.chrisbell.com/issues/parks.

http://www.chrisbell.com/releases/082106_parks?t=7