[BCNnet] State Grant Funding in Federal Budget

[Bmontey@aol.com]

Dear CARA supporters:

On Wednesday 22 January 03, the Senate working on the FY2003 omnibus 
appropriations bill voted to cut the appropriation budget for the Department 
of Interior's State Wildlife Funding Grant program in HALF.  This program was 
promised by congress during the 2000 budget process and is the so called 
"CARA Lite".  What this means to Illinois is that rather than receiving $2.3 
million as we did in FY02 we would receive $1.3 million.  In the House's 
version of the budget for FY03 they approved $100 million for the Department 
of Interior's State Wildlife Grant program.  If this amount should remain 
intact Illinois share of the program would be $3.1 million.

Considering the state's current budget crisis any additional income for 
natural resource conservation would be welcome and is critically needed.  We 
have an opportunity to help ensure that the Illinois Department of Natural 
Resources receives at least as much as we received last year, but lets try 
for all that the House proposed $3.1 million.

This is going to tough to do considering budget are tight everywhere due to 
the economic downturn, the threat of a war, homeland security and the 
apparent lack of support for natural resource programs in the current 
Legislative and Executive branches of the federal government.  We need you to 
contact the members of your organizations and ask them to:

1 - Contact their Congressman asking them to restore and maintain funding at 
$100 million level for the State Wildlife Grants in the Department of 
Interiors budget. (House switchboard: 202-224-3121)

2 - Call House of Representative Speaker Denis Hastert (phone: 202-225-2976; 
FAX: 202-225-0697).