URGENT LEGISLATIVE
ALERT ON RC&D FUNDING
Dear RC&D Council President:
The President
eliminated funding for the RC&D Program in his Fiscal
Year 2010 budget proposal.
To restore funding to
the program, we will need the assistance of every
council member. We need you to distribute this
packet to your local council members for action as
soon as possible.
Attached is material
which can help you make the case for funding the RC&D
program for Fiscal Year 2010. The packet includes a
fact sheet on FY09 priorities and a sample letter,
which you may use to make the case for an increase in
funding to the RC&D program. To be most effective
please customize this letter by including your local
success stories, as well as, adding your personal
touch to the letter. This year, because of the urgency
of our appeal we encourage you to write a letter,
follow it up with a phone call and meet with your
Member of Congress while they are at home in their
District. Fax your letters to the Member’s Washington
office to make sure they arrive in a timely manner.
Hard copy mail generally takes three weeks to arrive
in Washington DC due to security screening.
Letters need to arrive by March 6 to be most
effective.
Please also remember to
send a copy of your letter to the NARC&DC office so we
can be sure to follow-up on your requests. Our fax
number is 202 434-4783.
Our staff can assist in
providing you with the fax number for your Member of
Congress. We also have a new legislative e-mail
network for individuals who wish to receive updates
and information electronically. To subscribe, send an
e-mail to
narcdc@rcdnet.org and indicate you would like to
receive our legislative updates.
Thank you for your
commitment to RC&D. The NARC&DC is ready to help with
any questions you may have. Please call Bobbi
Jeanquart at (202) 434-4780 if you need any assistance
or email us
narcdc@rcdnet.org.
And please remember legislative action
is strictly a council member responsibility. Neither
federal employees nor federal equipment (federally
supplied fax machines, computers, or stationary) can
be used to assist in these efforts.
SAMPLE LETTER
TO REQUEST FUNDING FOR RC&D PROGRAM FOR FY10
The Honorable
__________________ The Honorable ________________
U.S. Senate
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington DC 20510
Washington, DC 20515
RE: FY10
Funding for the Resource Conservation and Development
(RC&D) program in Agriculture appropriations
Dear:
I am a member
of the ________ RC&D council located in _________. I
urge you to oppose the President’s budget request for
RC&D. He proposes to eliminate all funding to
the RC&D program. We need
your help in restoring this funding to a minimum of $50.7
million to continue our strong record of service on
conservation and economic development issues in our
community.
RC&D
Councils help plan and carry out activities that
increase conservation of natural resources, support
economic development and enhance the environment and
standard of living in local communities. RC&D Council
members are volunteers and include local, civic,
appointed, and elected officials. RC&D Councils are
non-profit entities that work in partnership with USDA’s
Natural Resources Conservation Service through a federal
coordinator.
The
RC&D program is one of the federal government's success
stories with its ability to return $7.50 for every
dollar the federal government invests to support
economic development and resource protection in rural
areas.
We
cannot allow funding to the RC&D program to be cut. If
funding for this program is cut, the following services
and projects can no longer be provided in our community:
(list
local projects that have strong public recognition)
I am writing
to you to ask that you continue support for this council
and Councils nationwide by writing the Chairman and
Ranking Members of the Agriculture Appropriations
Subcommittee and asking that $50.7 million be provided to
the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service,
Resource Conservation and Development Program (RC&D).
I
appreciate your interest in RC&D’s, and hope you can
support my request by writing to the Chair and Ranking
Members of the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee
and asking them to insert this language into the
Agriculture Appropriations bill:
“Resource,
Conservation and Development Councils play an important
role in rural development and natural resource
conservation. USDA has indicated it takes on average it
takes $207,500 to fully support an RC&D Council. There
are currently 375 existing Councils and 38 pending
applications. The Committee provides $50.7 million to
move the existing Councils toward full funding.”
Sincerely,
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FAQ about Funding
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF RESOURCE CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT COUNCILS
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the funding level
for RC&D in previous years?
FY 07 $51.3 million
FY 06 $50.7 million
FY 05 $51.2 million
Why do our letters need to
go in by the first of March? Members of Congress must submit
their requests for funding to the House and Senate Agriculture
appropriations committee by Mid-March.
Can we use e-mail?
This is not recommended. Members of Congress get hundreds of
e-mails daily and their general in-boxes may not be checked for weeks at
a time. The best approach is to fax your request if time is short.
Should I write to the
members of the key committees? Not unless you live in
their district. Write to your member of congress or senator. If an
out of district request comes in, Members of Congress will forward that
request back to the appropriate district.
When will we know how we are
doing? The subcommittees generally markup a bill in May
and it gets considered on the house floor by mid-June.
What does the budget
situation look like? Budgets will be tighter this year
than last.
When can I meet with a
Member of Congress while they are back home?
Congressional District Work Periods
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