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Minnesota Conservation Federation Legislative Report

(Gary Botzek, Executive Director)

Minnesota Conservation Federation

Legislative Report

Gary Botzek, Executive Director

November 2008

Minnesota Conservation Federation (MCF) Legislative Reports available here. 

We won! Congratulations to all the folks that worked hard over the past 10 years to pass a constitutional amendment to guarantee dedicated funding for our waters, lands, and forests! Even more thanks to the folks that worked long and hard this past spring, summer and fall to pass the ballot question! Your tireless efforts have paid off. This is great news for your kids and grandkids. We will be inventing millions of dollars annually into our land, water and culture. The Quality of Life argument for living in Minnesota will continue for the next generations with the victory!

The passage of the “Clean Water, Land, and Legacy” constitutional amendment will guarantee general fund investment in the neighborhood of $250-$300 million per year for the next 25 years! This is the biggest conservation proposal to ever pass a state ballot test!

Over 1.5 million votes “Yes” and the amendment. That is just over 56% when you count the yes votes compared to the no votes and the folks that chose not to vote on the question. The Vote Yes Minnesota campaign worked hard to make votes aware that a non-vote on the ballot question would be counted as a no vote! We over came that big concern and won! 

Thanks to all the sportsmen’s clubs and individuals who put up signs, made phone calls, and talked to friends and neighbors about the importance of this issue. Special thanks to every one of you that voted for the constitutional amendment. We make a strong statement and commitment to our natural resources, our environment, our parks and trials, our waters, and our culture and history. We made a good decision for our kids and grandkids. We can all be very proud of what we just did! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

In order to pay for this substantial increase in effort, the rate of sales tax rate will be raised by 3/8^th of one percent starting July 1, 2009. That is only 38 cents more on a $100 purchase.  The new law will provide close to $100 million per year for the next 25 years for habitat, and hunting and fishing needs and priorities. The bill would also provide around $100 million per year to clean up our lakes, rivers, and streams.  The amendment would also provide around $100 million per year for state and regional parks, state and regional trails, and arts, culture, and history programs.

A twelve member Outdoor Heritage Council will be set up and will make recommendations on how and where the $100 million per year should be spent in the conservation and environmental areas. The Council members will include eight citizens and four legislators and will make annual recommendations to the Governor and Legislature, just like the current Legislative Citizens Council on Minnesota Resources does for the lottery dollars. The inclusion of this Outdoor Heritage Council warmed the interest of all hunting, angling, conservation, and environmental organizations to support the amendment 100%. Individual sportsmen’s club will be allowed to propose their own plans for tree plantings, WMA acquisition and restoration, bird/duck house youth efforts, etc.

The MCF will work with the new Heritage Council in making suggestions/recommendations to the legislature as to where the first round of new sales tax dollars should be spent. Those recommendations will then be passed into law as part of the budget bills in May.