A $2.5 million bond referendum to fund land conservation for Rhode Island will appear on November's ballot after all -- a result that has been deeply in doubt for months. After much lobbying effort, these vital programs now have a chance to continue. "This is an amazing last-minute approval by the General Assembly in response to strong grass-roots support," says the RI Land Trust Council.

Click on "More..." for the full text of today's announcement from the Council.

$2.5 Million Bond Referendum Approved for November Ballot

via RI Land Trust Council
 
Land Trust Leaders and friends of land conservation,
 
Some Good News!  You were heard!  In response to your calls,
emails and letters - The General Assembly voted to continue
Rhode Island's Land Conservation programs and place a
$2.5 million bond referendum on November's ballot.
 
This is an amazing last minute approval by the General Assembly
in response to you and the strong grass roots support for
farmland protection and land conservation programs in
communities across the state. (Strong grass roots support is
evident in the 70.8% voter approval of the 2004 bond referendum and
20 town council resolutions endorsing a $15 million bond referendum this year.)
 
Please thank your state Representative and Senator for:
+ supporting a bond referendum, and
+ giving the state's voters the ability to decide the future of state's land conservation program.
Let your Representative and Senator know you've been following this
legislation and appreciate their support in a difficult budget year.
 
http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/Email/RepEmailListDistrict.asp (house contact info)
 
http://www.rilin.state.ri.us/Email/SenEmailListDistrict.asp (Senate contact info)
 
 
The rest of the story:
1. Governor Carcieri's proposed budget (in February)
included $5 million bond referendum for land conservation
combined with $30 million for Narragansett Bay restoration.
 
2. Wednesday, June 11(2 weeks ago), the House Finance Committee
approved a budget withOUT any bond referendum for land conservation or
Narragansett Bay.  Typically the General Assembly approves the budget recommended by the House Finance Committee and makes very few changes.
 
3. After the budget was approved by House Finance Committee, many House members who are strong supporters of land conservation went to the House Democratic Leaders to seek their endorsement for changing the budget to restore a small bond referendum for land conservation.   Among these supporters were Representatives Gallison, Handy, Sullivan and Walsh. House Minority Leader Watson, Loughlin and most the Republican members of the House also advocated for a land conservation Bond.  These efforts by house members who support land conservation did not gain House Leaders' support for a bond referendum at that time.
 
4.  Last Wednesday, the full House debated the House Finance Committee's recommended budget.
Representatives Walsh and Loughlin proposed amendments to
put a small bond referendum back in the budget.
The House voted against these amendments by a narrow
vote margin:  37 against vs. 31 in favor.  
With the following voting yes:
YEAS - 31: Representatives Ajello, Amaral, Caprio, Coaty, Ehrhardt, Ferri, Flaherty, Gallison, Gorham, Handy, Kennedy, Long, Loughlin, McManus, Menard, Moffitt, Mumford, Pacheco, Palumbo, Rice, Savage, Segal, Singleton, Smith, Story, Sullivan, Ucci, Walsh, Wasylyk, Watson, Winfield.
5.  The State budget was approved by the House on Wednesday and the Senate on Thursday last week withOUT ANY bond referendums proposed for land conservation.  This decision would have effectively ended the state's farmland protection program (that has been successful operating since 1985) after this year.  Without new state bond funds, Rhode Island would have lost $4-6 million/year in federal farmland protection funding because we would not have
the match.
 
6.  Late Friday/early Saturday, Representatives Walsh, Malik, Naughton, Loughlin, and Gorham introduced new legislation for a $2.5 million bond referendum. Senator Sosnowski, Algiere and Blais introduced and advocated for this legislation in the Senate.  Both bills were approved late on Saturday.  The final roster of House and Senate votes supporting this legislation are not yet available but we believe the vote was unanimous in both the House and Senate.
 
Footnote:
The $2.5 million bond is a small fraction of what is needed
to maintain the state's farmland protection and land conservation programs
(we had been advocating for a $15 million bond referendum).
Yet, this bond referendum, if approved by voters in November, will
provide some funding to keep the programs in place and active
until the state's fiscal situation improves in future years.
 
Thank you, for your support of the legislative effort to get
a land conservation bond on the ballot this fall and for your
ongoing support for farmland protection and land conservation
in Rhode Island.  Your calls and emails generated the support necessary in the
General Assembly to make this legislation possible.
 
Please be sure to thank your state Representative and Senator for
their ongoing support for land conservation and for supporting a bond referendum this fall.