The United States Sportsmen's Alliance (USSA) recently endorsed a Missouri House Joint Resolution, HJR35, which aims to make it more difficult to bring wildlife-related measures to ballot for citizens to vote on. Instead of protecting wildlife, the resolution seeks to make it more difficult for citizens to do just that. The provision reads, "No initiative proposal relating to the opportunity to harvest, bird, fish, game, wildlife, or forestry resources shall take effect unless approved by a two-thirds majority of the votes cast…." Ballot measures are normally passed by a majority of citizens, rather than a supermajority of 66 percent. This resolution tries to place special interests above the interests of other citizens. The taking of natural resources does not deserve to be placed above the rights of other uses of natural resources, including preservation and recreation. It is important to maintain that the natural resources of a state need to be maintained for the public. The resolution continues, "That this provision shall not apply to any initiative proposal involving the amendment or repeal of sales taxes for conservation purposes…." So changes to or elimination of funding for conservation only requires a majority vote, but deciding how to conserve resources requires a super majority? That doesn't make sense. The USSA would have citizens believe that this resolution would keep wildlife management in the hands of professions and away from the whims of special interests. Instead this resolution protects special interests by tying the hands of citizens. It is important that the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation, Parks and Tourism not act on the foolish resolution and let it die this legislative session.

Ran 5/24/04