Parks Money Looking Up
May 1st, 2007 at 8:02 am
It’s do-or-die time for parks funding, and the Lege may be edging closer to saying “I do.” House Speaker Tom Craddick has recommended to budget conferees that they appropriate $100 million annually to shore up the ailing Texas Parks and Wildlife Department budget, according to George Bristol, president of the Texas Coalition for Conservation.
“I’m more optimistic than I was 2 or 3 weeks ago,” Bristol said. “The speaker has stood behind what he said last summer.”
Also on the move is HB 12, a bill that would remove a cap on the amount of money TPWD can receive from the sporting goods sales tax. Since 1995 a legislatively-imposed maximum of $32 million each year from the tax can be directed towards TPWD, leading to park closures, deteroriating facilities, and staff cuts. Current TPWD funding from the tax stands at $20 million per year. The remainder of the money gets blown on God-knows-what through the general revenue fund.
Under HB 12, by Rep. Harvey Hilderbran (R-Kerrville), 94 percent of the annual $110 million from the sporting-good sales tax could be directed to TPWD and 6 percent to the Texas Historical Commission. HB 12 will be heard by the full House on Wednesday.
But parks advocates are not thrilled that the controversial transfer of historical sites from TPWD to the privatization-friendly Historical Commission has been wrapped into HB 12.
“They’ve done a dirty trick by combining the transfers - which so many people oppose - and the funding which [TPWD] definitely needs,” said Linda Evans with Texans for State Parks.
Still, some advocates say they are focused on getting local and state parks funded one way or the other and they’re optimistic that the Legislature will act in some capacity to do so. “At this point in the game there are no natural enemies,” said Bristol.
As a simple gauge of support for getting the parks system back on its feet, HB 6, which eliminates the cap on the sporting goods tax - but does not, like HB 12, include the historic sites transfer - has 126 sponsors in the House. The senate companion, SB 252, has 23 sponsors.
Pledging allegiance to motherhood, apple pie, and public parks is all well and good but the budget pols still need to show us the money. The Texas State Parks Advisory Committee recommends an additional $85 million for TPWD each year for 10 years to get the parks system back into order. The clock is ticking.
