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Possible Budget Cuts for the Missouri Department of Conservation

A proposed bill could affect the Missouri Department of Conservation’s budget. House bill 27 was proposed to reduce the conservation sales tax from one-eighth to one-sixteenth of a cent.

The state of Missouri is unique compared to other states. They have dedicated conservation `funding through the one-eighth sales tax. This means for every $8 someone spends on taxable goods, one cent goes towards conservation efforts.

Brandon Butler, Conservation Federation of Missouri’s executive director, said Missouri is fortunate to receive support like this.

“Most other states don’t have this kind of funding, and it’s extremely important to the success of our state,” Butler said. “It’s why Missouri has become so nationally recognized as a true leader of conservation.”

The sales tax allows the department to partner with other conservation organizations to better their programs. Mark Flaspohler, manager of conservation programs for Ducks Unlimited said he is concerned about this proposed bill.

“We’re just really blessed to have that (one-eighth of a cent sales tax), we really are,” Flaspohler said. “Without it, we would not have near the conservation program effort across the state. For Ducks Unlimited, it just gives us a chance to partner with Missouri Department of Conservation and leverage their funds.”

Republican Rep.  Bryan Spencer who proposed the bill said it was not put there to become law. Although Spencer appreciates the efforts of the Missouri Department of Conservation, he said he proposed the bill in hopes of receiving answers to questions he has about the department’s budgeting and policies.

“I love the conservation, but when it comes down to it, I also have constituents that I work for and if they have questions, my job is to help find answers,” said Spencer. “And if I’m not getting answers, sometimes, you have to do things like this to get their attention to get the answers you need.”

The Conservation Federation of Missouri hosted an inaugural event on April 2 to raise awareness about conservation in the state. The event, Conservation Day at the Capitol, attracted 27 conservation organizations and hundreds of supporters. The event was created to promote and educate supporters, and a chance to thank legislators for their assistance.

“One of the most important things we need to be doing now is talking to our legislators and learning from them, as well as, maybe educating some of our legislators of the impacts they may not be thinking about on some of these bills,” Flaspohler said. “But at the same time, we as conservationists need to learn from our legislators. We all want to do what we can to work together.”

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