[TN-Bird] Action Alert: Call TODAY - Real Estate Transfer Fund
- From: Melinda Welton <weltonmj@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: tnbird <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 26 Apr 2010 14:49:24 -0500
Action Alert
Dear all
The Senate Finance Committee will be taking action on the Real Estate Fund
tomorrow. Please take a minute and call:
* Senator Mark Norris, Republican Leader (615-741-1967)
* Senator Randy McNally, Chair of the Senate Finance Committee
(615-741-6806)
* and your Senator if he/she is on the Finance Committee see list at the
end of the email.
1,000s of acres of wildlife habitat and recreation land is at stake.
Please call today
Thank you
Melinda Welton
Co-chair TOS Conservation Policy Committee
------ Forwarded Message
From: Forever Green TN <forevergreentn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2010 15:32:19 -0500
To: Melinda Welton <weltonmj@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Call TODAY to save Tennessee!
Dear Tennessee Conservationist:
(Please forward today to everyone you know!)
All funding for land conservation from the State of Tennessee is at risk!
This may be the most important request for action you will receive this
year. The fate of $16.5 million for conserving Tennessee¹s woods, waters and
wildlife will be determined next week (we think by Tuesday or Wednesday)
when the Senate Finance Committee reviews the State budget. If we lose our
funding this year, we may never get the ³dedicated² funds returned again.
Please help.
PLEASE make phone calls to the following TODAY:
* Senator Mark Norris, Republican Leader (615-741-1967)
* Senator Randy McNally, Chair of the Senate Finance Committee
(615-741-6806)
* Your Senator (if he/she appears on the list below)
Here's your message: Restore all land conservation funding in the State¹s
budget, ³dedicated² from the Tennessee Real Estate Transfer Fees. It is
important for JOBS. It is important for a Forever Green Tennessee, our
woods, our waters, our wildlife. Less than 1/10th of 1% of our State¹s
Budget supports these vital programs. It is wrong to divert them again.
Quick overview: In 1991, the legislature added a small increase to the Real
Estate Transfer Fees (the fee you pay when a real estate deed is recorded)
to generate money to save parks, wetlands, woods, wildlife and waters. In
2003-2008 this ³dedicated² fund was diverted to the general fund. They were
supposed to return to their ³dedicated² purpose in June 2008, but
unfortunately were taken the last week of the budget process and once again
diverted from their "dedicated" purpose to balance the budget. This is
wrong. These funds are in the Governor¹s budget to reinstate in June 2010,
but they are in jeopardy of being taken from their original purpose yet
again!
The fees generate $16.5 million and include $6.5 million for conserving
wetlands and wildlife areas, $3.1 million for conserving state park lands,
$3.7 million for local parks (requires a match from the city/co.) and $3.2
million for farmers to clean up or prevent pollution of our creeks and
rivers.
More Talking Points:
* These funds create jobs and are great for our economy. Tourism generates
180,000 jobs, and parks are our most popular tourist attractions;
* These funds leverage federal funding, city and county funding, private
gifts, and investments from farmers;
* These funds are a common sense approach as real estate is developed a
small fund saves the best Tennessee has to offer;
* We want our children and grandchildren to have a beautiful environment and
strong economy and these funds are critical for the Forever Green Tennessee
that we want our children to inherit;
* We want Tennessee to always be known as the ³greenest state in the land of
the free.²
For more information, there is a fact sheet and 13-minute movie that
describes these funds as well as pictures of our legislative friends on our
blog: http:// forevergreentn.wordpress.com.
Please take 5 minutes to save our precious homeland. We must show our
legislators that Tennesseans care about our environment. With your help,
together we WILL Forever Green Tennessee.
Sincerely,
Kathleen Williams
Executive Director, Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation
Here's who needs to hear from you TODAY:
Lieutenant Governor:
Sen. Ron Ramsey (R, Sullivan Co.) 615-741-4524
sen.ron.ramsey@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Comptroller, State of Tennessee:
Justin P. Wilson (R), 615-741-2501
justin.wilson@xxxxxx
Senate Finance Committee:
Chairman: Randy McNally (R, Anderson Co.) 615-741-6806
sen.randy.mcnally@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Vice-Chair: Douglas Henry (D, Davidson Co.) 615-741-3291
sen.douglas.henry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Secretary: Sen. Tim Burchett (R, Knox Co.) 615-741-1766
sen.tim.burchett@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Republican Caucus Chair: Diane Black (R, Sumner Co.) 615-741-1999
sen.diane.black@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Joe Haynes (D, Davidson Co.) 615-741-6679
sen.joe.haynes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Roy Herron (Dem. Caucus Chairman, D, Weakley Co.) 615-741-4576
sen.roy.herron@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Jim Kyle (Dem. Senate Leader, D, Shelby Co.) 615-741-4167
sen.jim.kyle@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Mark Norris (Rep. Party Leader, R, Shelby Co.) 615-741-1967
sen.mark.norris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Doug Overbey (R, Blount Co.) 615-741-0981
sen.doug.overbey@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Bo Watson (R, Hamilton Co.) 615-741-3227
sen.bo.watson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Jamie Woodson (R, Knox Co.) 615-741-1648
sen.jamie.woodson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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