BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó




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          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                        AJR 27|
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                                    THIRD READING


          Bill No:  AJR 27
          Author:   Levine (D), et al.
          Amended:  9/2/15 in Assembly
          Vote:     21 

           ASSEMBLY FLOOR:  62-13, 9/2/15 - See last page for vote

           SUBJECT:   The Land and Water Conservation Fund


          SOURCE:    Author
          
          DIGEST:  This resolution urges the Congress of the United States  
          to reauthorize and fully fund the Land and Water Conservation  
          Fund (LWCF) in order to maintain and protect land and water  
          resources.

          ANALYSIS:  This resolution makes the following legislative  
          findings:

          1)The LWCF was created by Congress in 1965 as a bipartisan  
            commitment for protection of natural areas, water resources,  
            cultural heritage, and outdoor recreational opportunities  
            throughout the country.

          2)Over the 50 years since the LWCF was created, billions of  
            dollars in funding have been provided to protect valuable land  
            and water resources, including, but not limited to, parks,  
            forests, rivers, lakes, wildlife habitat, and recreational  
            opportunities. These investments have resulted in the  
            permanent protection of nearly five million acres of public  
            lands and working landscapes.

          3)Since its inception, the LWCF has delivered over $2 billion to  
            California, and has provided hundreds of millions of dollars  








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            more for projects through its matching fund program.  The LWCF  
            has helped conserve some of California's most treasured and  
            iconic natural resources in each region of the state,  
            including, but not limited to, Lake Tahoe, the Mojave Desert,  
            Point Reyes National Seashore, the Headwaters Forest Reserve,  
            the San Diego and Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National  
            Wildlife Refuges, working forests in the Sierra Nevada, and  
            Central Valley wetlands.  

          4)The LWCF is critical to the quality of life in California. The  
            LWCF protects watersheds and drinking water supplies; provides  
            sustainable jobs in urban and rural communities; protects the  
            economic asset that federal, state, and local public lands  
            represent; conserves natural areas, wildlife habitats, and  
            open space from urban parks to large landscapes; improves  
            access for sportsmen, sportswomen, and recreationists to  
            natural lands; stimulates local economies and jobs that  
            support tourism and outdoor recreation sectors; preserves  
            wetlands, forests, and watersheds; and provides state and  
            local grants to support healthy communities.

          5)The LWCF will expire if not reauthorized by Congress before  
            September 30, 2015

          This resolution urges the Congress of the United States to  
          reauthorize and fully fund the LWCF in order to maintain and  
          protect land and water resources.
          
          Background

          According to the author, 

              The LWCF is the country's premiere land conservation  
              program that provides funds for, among other things:   
              recreational areas for hiking, biking, hunting, fishing,  
              and wildlife watching; for national, state and local  
              parks; for preservation of historic battlefields and  
              other cultural resources; for  protection of watersheds,  
              wetlands, water supplies and water quality; for   
              conservation of working landscapes, including forests,  
              farms and ranches; for wildlife refuges and other  
              wildlife conservation projects;  and for support of  








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              local economies through increased outdoor recreation.

              The LWCF is funded from a small percentage of federal  
              offshore oil and gas drilling fees.  While up to $900  
              million per year from offshore royalties is authorized  
              for the LWCF, a considerably smaller percentage has  
              actually been appropriated for the conservation and  
              recreation purposes for which the LWCF was created.   
              However, despite chronic underfunding, since its  
              creation in 1965 the LWCF has protected lands in every  
              state, and supported over 41,000 state and local land   
              and water projects.

              Of all states, California has been the biggest recipient  
              of LWCF monies, receiving approximately $2.06 billion  
              over the past 50 years.  These funds have leveraged  
              hundreds of millions of dollars in matching funds for  
              California, and have protected such iconic places as  
              Lake Tahoe, the California Desert, Point Reyes National  
              Seashore, the Sonoma Coast, and  Sierra Nevada forests.   
              The Forest Legacy Program, which protects working  
              forests, is also funded through the LWCF, and has  
              leveraged approximately $12 million in federal LWCF  
              funds for a total investment of $62 million in  
              California's forests.

              Studies have shown that every $1 of LWCF revenues  
              invested, returns $4 in economic value in the form of  
              jobs, wages, consumer spending, and tax revenues  
              generated.  
          
          FISCAL EFFECT:   Appropriation:    No          Fiscal  
          Com.:NoLocal:    No


          SUPPORT:   (Verified9/4/15)


          Audubon California
          California Council of Land Trusts
          California State Park Foundation
          California Trout








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          California Waterfowl Association
          Ducks Unlimited
          Eastern Sierra Land Trust
          Northcoast Regional Land Trust
          Pacific Forest Trust
          Peninsula Open Space Trust
          Save the Redwoods League
          Sempervirens Fund
          Sequoia Riverlands Trust
          Solano Land Trust
          The Nature Conservancy
          The Trust for Public Land
          Trout Unlimited
          Wildlife Heritage Foundation



          OPPOSITION:   (Verified 9/4/15)


          None received

           ASSEMBLY FLOOR:  62-13, 9/02/15
           AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Baker, Bloom, Bonilla, Bonta, Brown,  
            Burke, Calderon, Campos, Chau, Chávez, Chiu, Chu, Cooley,  
            Cooper, Dababneh, Daly, Dodd, Eggman, Frazier, Cristina  
            Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gatto, Gipson, Gomez, Gonzalez,  
            Gordon, Gray, Hadley, Roger Hernández, Holden, Irwin,  
            Jones-Sawyer, Kim, Lackey, Levine, Linder, Lopez, Low,  
            Maienschein, Mathis, McCarty, Medina, Mullin, Nazarian,  
            O'Donnell, Perea, Quirk, Rendon, Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez,  
            Salas, Santiago, Steinorth, Mark Stone, Thurmond, Ting, Weber,  
            Williams, Wood, Atkins
           NOES: Travis Allen, Brough, Dahle, Beth Gaines, Gallagher,  
            Grove, Harper, Obernolte, Olsen, Patterson, Wagner, Waldron,  
            Wilk
           NO VOTE RECORDED: Bigelow, Chang, Jones, Mayes, Melendez


          Prepared by: Jonas Austin / SFA / (916) 651-1520
          9/4/15 14:34:16
                                   ****  END  ****








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