State Wildlife Grant Update

Congress is in summer recess, so not much new to report on FY12. I’m hearing the House Interior Appropriations bill may make its way back to the floor the week after Labor Day but it will likely be for further debate on policy riders.

There could be a vote by the House on the full bill, but it remains unclear. The Senate is working on a bill but will be constrained by the debt ceiling limits. The ceiling they will be working with will likely only be a bit higher than the number used in the House. Senate Appropriations staff are unsure if there will be a subcommittee markup. We will likely see a short-term continuing resolution to start the fiscal year then an omnibus after that. We need to continue messaging to Hill staff the importance of this program and that the $22M in the House bill is insufficient. Agencies are working on the FY13 budget and have been given instructions by OMB to prepare budget scenarios with 5% and 10% cuts under FY11 enacted. The guidance also said that cuts should not be made across the board but instead should target wasteful and nonessential programs. The President’s FY13 budget will be released next February. Thanks to all of you who provided examples for the State Wildlife Grants success stories report. We are using the information daily and will put the full report on the TWW website soon. Kudos to Kendra Wecker in Ohio for her work on recovering the Lake Erie Watersnake and for doing a press release that acknowledged the role of State Wildlife Grants. This really helps our cause.