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State Representative Tom Hackbarth
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-2439
For more information contact: Austin Bleess 651-296-5529
OP/ED COLUMN
WHO KILLED THE GAME & FISH DEDICATION BILL?
By State Rep. Tom Hackbarth
There was a barely audible “thud” at the State Capitol June 8. In a letter to me and Minnesota House leaders, Senate DFL Majority Leader Dean Johnson rejected my last ditch offer to put a question on the November ballot asking voters if they want to amend the constitution to dedicate a portion of sales taxes for fish & game preservation.
But to hunters, anglers and others concerned with preserving Minnesota’s game & fish habitat, that thud was loud, disappointing and arrogant. Clearly, some members within the DFL party had no desire to have a constitutional amendment question on the ballot that might have drawn “the wrong people” to the voting booth.
Yet when the 2006 session started, and after almost a decade of legislative wrangling, I was optimistic that lawmakers were closer than ever to passing a dedication bill. For years, I’ve championed such legislation. At one time, the bill asked voters to dedicate 3/16 of 1 percent of sales tax revenue for fish and game programs. The percentage grew over time because lawmakers kept adding on new unrelated projects they wanted funded by these dedicated funds.
In March, in hope of getting a bill passed, I decided to keep it simple. I wrote it to set aside 1/8th of 1 percent of our current state sales tax revenues and specifically fund only hunting & fishing conservation and habitat programs. It was modeled exactly after a very successful program in Missouri, and would raise about $90 million a year.
Perhaps not surprisingly, throughout session, as I simplified my plan, other legislators – primarily DFL Senators – started loading it up again, calling for funding for other environmental concerns, public radio and the arts. Worse, the Senate version actually called for an increase in the state sales tax, further jeopardizing potential public support. Everything but the kitchen sink was included in the Senate’s tax-increasing “habitat” bill.
It was clear the DFL didn’t want this question to go to the voters.
Minnesotans cherish the environment and we fund it accordingly. Environmental and recreational projects from trails to parks are regularly funded in the state’s bonding bill. Some 40 percent of the net proceeds from the state lottery go to the Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resources to further fund environmental programs. And finally, each year the legislature spends money from the general fund for a wide array of environmental concerns, including funding DNR programs.
But what is worrisome to me as an outdoor sportsman is that over the years, hunting and fishing habitat support has been losing ground as a percentage of environmental expenditures. Keep in mind, not only do thousands enjoy hunting and fishing in Minnesota, but these activities help sustain economic development and small business growth throughout the state.
I believe I had made a persuasive case for finally passing a bill for dedicated funding for fish & game. But it became clear that the DFL wasn’t going to allow this bill to survive. It was an arrogant political calculation; our habitat will pay the price.
Rep. Hackbarth is the state representative for House District 48A and chair of the House Environment & Natural Resources Committee.
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