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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, One-third of all wildlife and plant species in the |
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United States are experiencing population decline, and of these |
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more than 12,000 species in need of conservation, 1,310 are found in |
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Texas; and |
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WHEREAS, The federal government lacks a dedicated funding |
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system to conserve at-risk wildlife, but the Recovering America's |
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Wildlife Act would provide permanent federal revenue for each state |
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to enact its own plan for stabilizing and recovering its species in |
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decline; an annual block of $1.3 billion, financed by existing |
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royalties from energy and mineral production on federal lands and |
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waters and at no cost to taxpayers, would be dedicated to |
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state-based conservation; and |
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WHEREAS, With its passage, the Lone Star State would be |
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eligible for $63 million annually to implement its Texas |
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Conservation Action Plan, a preestablished strategy for conserving |
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and improving the status of flora and fauna designated as Species of |
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Greatest Conservation Need; administered by the Texas Parks and |
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Wildlife Department, the funding would reduce the need for |
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regulatory intervention by empowering wildlife managers and |
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private landowners to address conservation issues at the local |
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level; and |
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WHEREAS, Texas would not only benefit ecologically, but also |
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economically through job creation, improved regulatory certainty, |
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increased nature tourism, and improved food production; and |
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WHEREAS, Conservation of at-risk wildlife is vital to our |
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future, and the passage of the Recovering America's Wildlife Act |
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would represent a transformative step in preserving the character |
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and beauty of our natural environment; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 86th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the United States to pass |
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the Recovering America's Wildlife Act; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official |
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copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to |
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the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of |
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Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the |
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members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that |
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this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a |
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memorial to the Congress of the United States of America. |