Sticky Fingers---Dern State Gov.

[Goldberg]

Did any of you guys happen to read the article in the Clarion Liberal last week about the MSDWFP and the State Tres. office? If I understand it right, the legislature is thinking about allowing the State Tres. to dip into the MSDWFP Licensing Fee account. This is the account that helps fund the MSDWFP. If any money is taken out of this account, the Federal Program will hold out from giving funds to our state dept. of Wildlife Fisheries and Parks---in the amount of @ $8,000,000. This according to the MSDWFP would be detrimental. Did I read this correctly? If so, we need to get on the horn to our Reps and Sens and make sure that this doesn't happen. The MSDWFP is funded by outdoorsmen not regular taxpayers, the state shouldn't be able to take "our" contributions and fund their deficits!

Below is a copy of the article from the CL

July 6, 2003

MDWFP: If license fund tapped, fed $$$ lost


By Bobby Cleveland
bcleveland@clarionledger.com

Mississippi wildlife officials are concerned about losing federal matching funds if a new law allows the State Treasurer to tap into its license fee revenue.

Under House Bill 1667, passed by the legislature and signed by the Governor in April, the State Treasurer is directed to take money from the funds of different state agencies to create a Budget Contingency Fund to give the state flexibility during lean economic times.

It is the opinion of the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks that the license fee fund is exempted by language included in Section 3 of H.B. 1667.

However, Mike Lucius, director of support services for the agency, said he has received notice that those funds are being considered.

"I was told verbally by the Treasurer's office that they were looking at three of our accounts, and one of those was No. 3460, which is our license fee account," Lucius said Monday.

A spokesperson in the Treasurer's office Monday could not confirm any accounts that were being considered, but did say that affected agencies would have the right to protest specific accounts.

"I would hope there would be room for dialogue, yes," the spokesperson said. "The Treasurer's office really has no way of telling which funds are exempt as we conduct preliminary looks down the lists."

The spokesperson also said the Treasurer's office would not be taking any funds from special accounts during the first quarter of the fiscal year, which started Tuesday.

Under Sections 1 and 2 of the new law, it is stipulated that several specific accounts will be tapped for certain amounts. Under Section 3, the Treasurer is directed to take up to $54 million from unspecified special funds of state agencies. Several special funds are exempted by definition, including "special-source funds that are used to match federal funds."

Hunting and fishing license fees should qualify as special-source funding, Lucius said because they are generated solely by sportsmen.

"And, they are certainly matched by federal funding," he said.

License fee revenue and the matching federal funds are the sole financial support for the wildlife and fisheries programs of the wildlife agency. While other agency programs do, wildlife and fisheries receive no funding from the state's general fund.

Surveys by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service indicate that hunting, fishing and other wildlife-related activities generate a combined $1 billion annual industry in Mississippi, taxable at 7 percent or higher.

"Under federal law," Lucius said, "if $1 of license fee money is used by a state for any other purpose than game and fish programs, that state is subject to lose 100 percent of its federal matching funds."

The state has averaged about $6 million per year in federal funds, records show.

If the license fee fund is tapped by the Treasurer for other uses, like the Budget Contingency Fund, Mississippi's wildlife and fisheries programs could lose a total of $8 million.

"The limit they are allowed to take from any special fund under this bill is 25 percent of the average monthly balance of that fund," Lucius said. "Our license fee account's monthly balance averages about $8 million a month."

If the state taps it for 25 percent of that amount, or $2 million, and the agency then loses its matching federal funding, the total lost quickly jumps to $8 million, Lucius said.

"That would devastate us," said fisheries director Ron Garavelli. "We'd lose just about every program we have."

Jerry Williams of Brandon, a hunter and fisherman, said Friday it would be wise to reconsider tapping license dollars.

"Sportsmen and women are a very vocal minority in Mississippi," Williams said. "We produce a lot of revenue for the state and we don't take a dime of tax money.

"I don't think the Treasurer, the Governor or the Legislature would want to shake up that hornet's nest, and that's exactly what they'd be doing. I think it would come back and sting them. It is an election year."

[peewee]

Goldberg, excellent post, we as hunters ought to be raising cain about this but yet hardly anyone has replied to this post.

[HighBrass7s]

Its just amazing things The Man does things every day that the normal ole working boy would get sued for left and right. I wish I could run my business like The Man!!!

[RobertM]

I read it on Sunday and I was surprised no one had posted it on here. I think it's pathetic that they are wanting to take money away from MDWFP. I dont know much about it, but the dept seems to be suffering from lack of funds now.

[peewee]

Does anyone on this website know who we need to contact to complain and say we dont wont the state treasury taking money from MDWFP, especially the liscense fee fund.

I found a list of state legislators but since it has already been passed by the state legislators I dont know if that would do any good.


Legislator City County Zip
1 Chamberlin, Robert (R-SS 01) Hernando DeSoto 38632
2 Minor, Bill (D-SS 02) Holly Springs Marshall 38634
3 Browning, Nickey (D-SS 03) New Albany Union 38652
4 Little, Travis (D-SS 04) Corinth Alcorn 38834
5 White, John (D-SS 05) Baldwyn Prentiss 38824
6 Nunnelee, Patrick Alan (R-SS 06) Tupelo Lee 38802
7 Bryan, Hob (D-SS 07) Amory Monroe 38821
8 Gordon, Carl J (D-SS 08) Houston Chickasaw 38851
9 Tollison, Gray (D-SS 09) Oxford Lafayette 38655
10 Mettetal, Nolan (D-SS 10) Batesville Panola 38606
11 Furniss, Delma (D-SS 11) Rena Lara 0104
12 Walls, Johnnie (D-SS 12) Greenville Washington 38702-0634
13 Simmons, Willie (D-SS 13) Cleveland Bolivar 38732
14 Huggins, Bunky (R-SS 14) Greenwood Leflore 38930
15 Hamilton, Glenn (R-SS 15) Starkville Oktibbeha 39759--353
16 Turner, Bennie (D-SS 16) West Point Clay 39773
17 Canon, Bill (R-SS 17) Columbus Lowndes 39702-3022
18 Williamson, Gloria (D-SS 18) Philadelphia Neshoba 39350
19 Johnson, Tim (R-SS 19) Kosciusko Attala 0119
20 Ross, Charlie (R-SS 20) Jackson Hinds 39286-1613
21 Blackmon, Barbara (D-SS 21) Canton Madison 39046
22 Carlton, Neely C (D-SS 22) Greenville Washington 38703
23 Chaney, Mike (R-SS 23) Vicksburg Warren 39180
24 Jordan, David (D-SS 24) Greenwood Leflore 38930-8173
25 Michel, J. Walter (R-SS 25) Jackson Hinds 39225
26 Horhn, John (D-SS 26) Jackson Hinds 39225
27 Frazier, Hillman Terome (D-SS 27) Jackson Madison 39213-4839
28 Harden, Alice (D-SS 28) Jackson Hinds 39289-0084
29 White, Richard (R-SS 29) Terry Hinds 39170
30 Kirby, Dean (R-SS 30) Pearl Rankin 39288-4099
31 Burton, Terry C (D-SS 31) Newton Newton 39345
32 Jackson, Sampson (D-SS 32) DeKalb Kemper 39328-0686
33 Carmichael, Videt (D-SS 33) Meridian Lauderdale 39301
34 Thames, Billy (D-SS 34) Mize Smith 39116
35 Smith, Rob (D-SS 35) Richland Rankin 39218-9701
36 Posey, Lynn (D-SS 36) Union Church Jefferson 39668-9720
37 Dearing, Bob M (D-SS 37) Natchez Adams 39120
38 Johnson, Robert (D-SS 38) Natchez Adams 39121
39 Hyde-Smith, Cindy (D-SS 39) Brookhaven Lincoln 39601
40 Stogner, Joseph (R-SS 40) Sandy Hook Marion 39478-9629
41 Harvey, Billy V (D-SS 41) Prentiss Jefferson Davis 39474-0551
42 Scoper, Vince (R-SS 42) Laurel Jones 39442
43 Dickerson, Tommy (D-SS 43) Waynesboro Wayne 39367
44 King, Tom (R-SS 44) Petal Forrest 39465
45 Farris, Ron (R-SS 45) Hattiesburg Forrest 39403
46 Cuevas, Scottie R (D-SS 46) Bay St Louis 39521-2111
47 Lee, Ezell (D-SS 47) Picayune Pearl River 39466--042
48 Dawkins, Deborah (D-SS 48) Pass Christian Harrison 39571
49 Hewes, Billy (R-SS 49) Gulfport Harrison 39505-2387
50 Gollott, Tommy (D-SS 50) Biloxi Harrison 39530-2717
51 Robertson, Tommy (R-SS 51) Moss Point Jackson 39562--862
52 Moffatt, Tommy (R-SS 52) Pascagoula Jackson 39581

[Goldberg]

Peewee: I emailed Bobby Cleveland and thanked him for the article and asked him who we should contact. He replied with the following:

Paul, thanks for writing and for your kind comments. If I had any advice to sportsmen it would be to comment directly to the Gov., the interim treasurer Peyton Prospere and to Rep. Charlie Capps (chairman of House appropriations) and remind them of the intent of the law, the very language of the law (which Capps authored) and that the fund in question is exempt. Ask for Capps' help and Musgrove's help in making sure that the treasuer is made aware that account 3460 is a special fund account (because all funds are raised from license sales) that involves federal matching funds (equaling almost $7 million last year). I do believe that the treasurer's office did not realize what 3460 was when it made its preliminary seach through state accounts. If they are made aware of the account, i do believe they will leave it alone. BobbyC TheClarion-Ledger, Outdoors Editor

________________________

OK guys, you read Bobby's reply--so lets get busy contacting these guys and tell them to quit screwing around.

[Goldberg]

Here is a copy of the letter I'm sending:

410 Patrick Farms Dr.
Pearl, MS 39208


July 8, 2003


Governor Ronnie Musgrove
Office of the Governor
PO Box 139
Jackson, MS 39205


Dear Governor Ronnie Musgrove:

I hope this letter finds you doing well.

After reading Bobby Cleveland’s article—“MDWFP: If license fund tapped, fed $$$ lost”, I am quite concerned. As an avid outdoorsman in this Great State of Mississippi I look for many wonderful years enjoying the wonderful creations God has created. It disturbs me to think that harm can come to our precious land and resources when it is not properly tended to by the MS Dept. of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.

It is my understanding after reading the above mentioned article that the State Treasury Dept. is considering several accounts to tap into for additional funds, one of these funds being Account 3460, the License Fund. I also understand that if this fund is hampered with that the Federal “matching funds” could be held back. This could cause the MDWFP to lose close to $8,000,000. According to the MDWFP this could be detrimental to the department.

Account 3460 is a “Special Fund” that is made possible by the thousands of outdoor enthusiasts in Mississippi and abroad that wish to hunt, fish and trap in Mississippi. This money is not generated by tax dollars. Being that this account is a “Special Fund”, it should be exempt from such tapping into.

I ask that you please take action to protect Account 3460 and the valuable resources of this state. I, along with thousands of other Mississippi Outdoorsmen and women welcome your response.

Respectfully,




Paul Hand



cc: Peyton D. Prospere
MS Dept. of Treasury
P.O. Box 138
Jackson, MS 39205-0138

Rep. Charlie Capps
PO Box 308
Cleveland, MS 39732

Dr. Sam Polles
MDWFP
1505 Eastover Dr.
Jackson, MS 39211-6374

[mississippi_duc_htr]

Good letter and post there Goldberg. Anyone know how too use petions.com. How post it and get everyone too sign it and get it sent to Musgrove?????

[DuckyDan]

Don't know, but I wanna sign my name if you get one going!

[crow]

You guys there in the delta need to go directly to Charlie Capps there in Cleveland. I have met him a couple of times and he is a great old gentleman who loves the outdoors. He is also a real mover and shaker in the legislature and as head of Ways and Means, he his the financial pursestrings. I think you are whisltling in the wind going to Musgrove.

[Goldberg]

I got a response letter back this week for Interim Treasurer-Peyton Prospere. He assured me that they would not be tapping into the MDWFP funds. He explained that he was an outdoorsman also and for us not to worry.----I hope he's right! I was impressed with expedience and concern.

I have not heard back from Gov. Runnie yet--probably won't---as he was cc'd with the Treasurer's letter to me.

[webfoot]

Thanks Goldberg for the update.

[Model12]

Paul,

I haven't been visiting the BBS allot lately and just noticed your post. Thanks for looking out for yourself and other sportsmen and women. I'm thankful that this media can unite our interests and be used to support our causes. Maybe next time myself or someone else can help when others are unaware when a potentional threating situation occurs. Keep up the good work....Sincerly,

Kim

[Don Miller]

I spoke with Sen. Bunky Huggins the other day and he assured me that those funds would not be tapped.