Normally I'm reluctant to allow any posts of a political nature here, but the following note that I got from
Texans for State Parks seems like a special case. Do you like hiking and visiting Texas State Parks? Now's the time to help ensure that taxes already collected FOR them are actually spent ON them.
House Bill 158 by Rep. Lyle Larson will enact a total dedication of the Sporting Goods Sales Tax to Parks and Wildlife (94%) and the Texas Historical Commission (6%) for the purpose of funding state parks and historic sites, and providing grants for local park development. Funding could only be used for state and local parks, and this would end future diversions of these funds.
This bill is scheduled for debate in the House of Representatives on Thursday, April 30th. Please call, email, or fax your State Representative and ask for his or her support when the bill comes up for a vote. Your support is crucial to the state and local park system in Texas!
Why is passage of this bill important? The bill’s author sums it up well in the following quote:
"The current condition of our park system is shameful and Texans are incensed that money dedicated to parks has been diverted for the last two decades. We are not advocating for an increase in taxes, rather, we are advocating using this dedicated revenue stream for parks. Anyone in the Legislature, who supports this bill, if they do nothing else the rest of their time in office, will have an impact on families in Texas for centuries to come." (Rep. Lyle Larson)
If you agree with the Representative, and want to end the diversion of Sporting Goods Sales Taxes, please contact your Representative today!
For contact information House of Representative members, visit:
http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/ .
Don’t know who your Representative is? Go to
http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/Home.aspx and enter your address in the “Who represents me?” area in the lower right corner of the legislature’s homepage.
I'd do what I could, but as a former Texas resident I don't think that any representative wants to hear from me anymore.
Unfortunately, CA State Parks have their own set of issues.
