PROP's Legislative Day for 2005 is scheduled for Tuesday, May 10th.
This year, we hope to arrange meetings with legislators in advance. So please talk to your senator and representative in the next month or so and see if they will have a face-to-face meeting with you on May 10th.
Support for reauthorization of the Recycling Fee appears to be growing and communication with legislators this spring are crucial to continue building this support. Registration Information and forms should be available in early April.
In preparation for our day on Capitol Hill, feel free to check out some of our resources.
Call (814-742-7777) or e-mail us prop@proprecycles.org for copies of our Legislative Directory, Legislative Tool Kit, or the Common Cause Capitol Directory.
PROP members specifically hope to again:
Stress the importance of continued funding of environmental infrastructure.
Explain how major state funding cuts can bring unfunded mandates to local government.
Discuss and better understand the budget debate and its impact on environmental infrastructure.
Explain the negative financial impacts of additional waste tip fees on local collection programs.
Convey the value of comprehensive waste management in maximizing recycling and reducing littering, illegal dumping, and open burning.
Familiarize legislators with your local recycling program success stories.
Describe the positive financial and employment impacts of
the recycling industry in your area.
Explain the implications of Act 101, Section 902 recycling program grant funding shortfalls.
Describe your local program funding needs and what might happen if funding shortfalls continue.
Explain that new and expanding recycling programs remain in need of funding for recycling and composting.
Stress the value of funding the next level of recycling infrastructure to capture food wastes and other organics.
At last years Environmental Infrastructure Legislative Day, held on May 11th 2004, PROP was joined by seven other Professional Environmental Organizations.
Environmental infrastructure funding for mandated environmental programs of all types has taken substantial cuts from the state budget. It is critical that all of us let our local legislators hear about the issues and concerns of recyclers. Each of the organization that joined PROP gave a summary of their chief concerns and it was interesting to see the common ground in their comments.
Everyone seemed to agree that:
Professional training and education was extremely important to maintain long term excellence.
Consistent funding was crucial. Most importantly, dedicated funds should be established for state funded programs, rather than channeling money through the uncertainties of the General Fund.
State fees should be primarily directed to the industry or activity from where they originate, not to unrelated programs or the General Fund.
The legislature should carefully consider the repercussions of additional fees. The fees proposed earlier this year will impact, among others, communities that collect their own waste and producers of various sludges.
