Add your name below to sign this petition:
Honorable members of the 88th Iowa General Assembly,
I urge you to appropriate funds to the Iowa Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund. In November of 2010, Iowans voted to amend the state's constitution to create the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund and establish a dedicated funding source through a sales tax increase of three-eighths of one percent. With 63 percent of voters supporting the measure, the message was loud and clear—Iowans want our state legislators to invest in natural resources. While nearly a decade has passed since this vote, a 2019 Des Moines Register poll indicated sixty-five percent of Iowans favor raising the sales tax rate by one cent on the dollar to pay for water quality and other services, showing withstanding and growing support.
The fund, which contains no money to date, would allow the state to invest in the following items, according to a 2019 Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, and Iowa Department of Transportation report:
Natural Resources
Soil Conservation and Water Protection
Watershed Protection
Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP)
Local Conservation Partnership
Trails
Lake Restoration
As your constituent, I urge you to act swiftly to allocate this crucial funding. Funding this trust would help preserve our state's natural beauty, help address soil and water resource concerns, and grow Iowa's outdoor recreation industry.