For the latest information check out the link at the National Association web site.

www.rcdnet.org

  2008 BUDGET CALLS FOR A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN FUNDING AND STAFF.

Legislative Alert for Council Members

March 16, 2007

Legislative follow-up

Deadline for House Members to the sign the RC&D Dear Colleague is extended to March 22.  Now is the time to call your Member of Congress or their staff to follow up on your funding request letter.  Have you received a response from your letter to your Member of Congress?  If not, be sure to make a phone call and ask what your Member of Congress did to support your request.  Did they write the appropriations subcommittee chair in support of $56 million for RC&D?  Did they sign a congressional letter of support for RC&D (a Dear Colleague letter)?  Please let us know what you hear. 

A legislative alert and sample letter are available on our website.  Please also feel free to contact me if you need assistance.

House of Representative “Dear Colleague letter”

The following “Dear Colleague” letter is circulating in the House of Representatives in support of RC&D.  Call your Member of Congress or their staff and ask them to sign on this Dear Colleague which is being circulated by Reps. Collin Peterson (D-MN), Frank Lucas (R-OK), and Tim Holden (D-PA). And just a reminder - do not call the staff number listed below - ask your Member of Congress or their staff to call and sign on.

Dear Colleague letters are used to have Members of Congress indicate their support for an issue.  Some Members of Congress may have already communicated their support for RC&D by writing the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee.  If they have not – ask if they plan to write an individual letter of support for RC&D or to sign on this letter.  A Senate “Dear Colleague” is still in the works.  We will update you when we have a copy.

Thanks for your help,

Bobbi Jeanquart

NARC&DC

robertaj@sso.org

The text of the dear colleague for the House of Representatives follows: 

SUPPORT THE RC&D PROGRAM IN AG APPROPRIATIONS

March 9, 2007

Dear Colleague:

We are writing to invite you to join us in sending the attached letter to

the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee in support of Fiscal Year 2008

funding for the Resource Conservation and Development or RC&D Program

The work that is done by the local volunteer RC&D councils as well as their

federally-funded coordinators is unique and vital to many parts of rural

America.

If you would like to join us in sending the attached letter, please contact

Adam Durand at 225-2349.

Sincerely,

 _________________________

 Collin C. Peterson

 Chairman

_________________________    _________________________

Tim Holden                                      Frank Lucas

Chairman                                          Ranking Member

Subcommittee on Conservation,     Subcommittee on Conservation,

Credit, Energy, and Research         Credit, Energy, and Research

     March 16, 2007

The Honorable Rosa DeLauro                                        The Honorable Jack Kingston

Chair                                                                                Ranking Member

Appropriations Subcommittee on                                       Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food                       Agriculture, Rural Development, and Drug Administration and Related                           Food and Drug Administration Agencies                                                                            and Related Agencies                     

Dear Chairwoman DeLauro and Ranking Member Kingston,

We are writing to ask for your support in continuing the operation of the

Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Program.

We know that the members of the Subcommittee are strong supporters of the

RC&D Program given your past history of funding for the program.  We

appreciate this previous support, and we hope that you will continue to

support the RC&D Program in the same manner for Fiscal Year 2008.

As you may be aware, the 2002 Farm Bill made the authorization for the

Resource Conservation and Development Program permanent.  At that time,

there was no discussion of making changes to the operation of the program.

The RC&D program is one of the Federal government's success stories with its

ability to leverage non-federal dollars to help support economic development

and resource protection in rural areas.

The work of the RC&D Councils and the federally funded coordinators is

especially important in the most rural areas of the country where we've all

tried to cultivate local leadership to help them address the economic

development and resource challenges facing their communities.  We also know

that those involved in RC&D Councils are going to be the leaders who are

already involved in multiple roles in local government, school boards,

church and other civic activities.  The Federal RC&D program helps these

local volunteers, who are already stretched thin in many cases to identify,

plan and address resource and development issues facing their areas.

We appreciate your consideration of our request and hope that you will

continue to support the RC&D Program as you have in recent years.

Sincerely,

Just a reminder -- a Dear Colleague letter is one which a Member or Members of Congress circulate in support of an issue and ask their fellow colleagues (Members of Congress) to sign on.  Chairman Collin Peterson (D-MN), Tim Holden (D-PA) and Frank Lucas (R-OK) are circulating a letter in support of RC&D. 

If you have any questions or need further information about any of these activities please do not hesitate to call me at 202 434-4780 or send me an e-mail at robertaj@sso.org

Roberta Jeanquart
National Association of Resource
Conservation and Development Councils
444 N. Capitol St. NW Suite 345
Washington, DC 20001
Phone 202 434-4780
Fax 202 434-4783
e-mail robertaj@sso.org