Finally! Here's what you can do ...

Hi all,

It’s time for action. 

The Idaho Legislature’s Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee (JFAC) will be setting the budget for the Idaho Dept. of Parks & Recreation (IDPR) a week from tomorrow, Monday, March 8.

So this coming week is our time to make a difference. It’s time to send an email to JFAC members and your local legislators and let them know how you feel.

We have worked with several affiliated groups and people to develop a position statement for Friends of Idaho Parks & Recreation.

Our position:

1. IDPR has taken more than its share of cuts. An 80 % cut in one year is not fair, compared to cuts in the 10-20% range for other state agencies. 

2. Deep budget cuts will cause State Parks services to suffer. Ask for general fund support of $3 million, instead of $1.6 million, to ensure that our State Parks are cared for properly.

3. Idaho’s 30 state parks are an economic engine for rural Idaho. Many rural counties in Idaho have double-digit unemployment. The state needs to keep State Parks functioning at a high level to provide tourism income for rural counties and the state of Idaho.

4. The Idaho Legislature needs to create an interim committee to evaluate long-term funding issues for IDPR. If the true agenda is to get IDPR removed from the general fund, and yet lawmakers and Gov. Otter want to keep all state parks open, then we need to develop a long-term vision for funding IDPR. Let’s work on this together.

JFAC members:

Senate Finance	House Appropriations
Dean Cameron, Co-chairman Rupert, ID  Republican  District 26	Maxine Bell, Co-chairman Jerome, ID  Republican  District 26, Seat B
Shawn Keough Sandpoint, ID  Republican  District 1	Darrell Bolz Caldwell, ID  Republican  District 10, Seat B
Joyce Broadsword Sagle, ID  Republican  District 2	George Eskridge Dover, ID  Republican  District 1, Seat B
Steve Bair Blackfoot, ID  Republican  District 28	Clifford Bayer Boise, ID  Republican  District 21, Seat B
James Hammond Coeur d’Alene, ID  Republican  District 5	Frank Henderson Post Falls, ID  Republican  District 5, Seat B
Jeff Siddoway Terreton, ID  Republican  District 35	Janice McGeachin Idaho Falls, ID  Republican  District 32, Seat A
Bert Brackett Rogerson, ID  Republican  District 23	Fred Wood Burley, ID  Republican  District 27, Seat B
Dean Mortimer Idaho Falls, ID  Republican  District 32	Jim Patrick Twin Falls, ID  Republican  District 23, Seat A
Diane Bilyeu Pocatello, ID  Democrat  District 29	Shirley Ringo Moscow, ID  Democrat  District 6, Seat B
Nicole LeFavour Boise, ID  Democrat  District 19	Wendy Jaquet Ketchum, ID  Democrat  District 25, Seat A

Follow this link to email or contact any Idaho legislator:

http://www.legislature.idaho.gov/howtocontactlegislators.htm

Please do what you can. We’re concerned that if we’re not able to boost funding for IDPR, then the wheels are going to fall off our State Parks. We can’t let that happen.

Thanks. Best, Steve Stuebner
Friends of Idaho Parks & Recreation
sstuebner@cableone.net

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