“Hot-Off-The-Press” Good News From the Recreation & Conservation Funding Board (RCFB)
Funding for Key Programs!
A Message from Doug Levy, WRPA Lobbyist
The RCFB voted unanimously to recommend a $140 million funding level for the Washington Wildlife & Recreation Program (WWRP); with only one dissenting vote to recommend $11.3 million for the Youth Athletic Facilities (YAF) program; and unanimously to recommend $9.1 million for the Aquatic Lands Enhancement Account (ALEA). These funding recommendations are in synch with what WRPA’s leadership pushed for in a letter signed by President, Paul Simmons, Executive Director, Tiffany Hanzo Martin, and Legislative Steering Committee Chair, Roxanne Miles.
Read the Letter
Additionally, and notably, the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition (WWRC) had pushed for the $140 million funding level and put in a positive endorsement for robust YAF funding in its comments. Paul Simmons and myself addressed the Board on behalf of WRPA to push for the $140 million, $11.3 million, and $9.1 million investment levels.
One other note is that the RCFB approved a recommendation to seek $5 million in the Capital Budget for the establishment of an “Outdoor Recreation for Communities Most in Need” program – something we spoke in support of. While all this is good news, it represents only a first step of the process: The RCFB’s recommendations go to the Governor’s office and the Office of Financial Management (OFM), which will make the final call as to what funding levels go in the Governor’s 2021-23 Capital Budget when he sends it to the Legislature in the third week of December.
Lastly, a reminder that at its November 2020 Board Meeting, the RCFB will do project selections in accord with the $140M WWRP, $11.3M YAF, and $9.1M ALEA funding levels. The RCFB’s funding recommendations mean that it will select all YAF and ALEA submitted projects and about 80 percent of the submitted WWRP projects (across multiple categories).
Doug Levy
Outcomes By Levy, LLC