Effort underway to protect state parks' funding

May 04, 2012

A group has filed paperwork to ask voters to protect funding for state parks. As KJZZ’s Mark Brodie reports from Phoenix, the parks faced budget cuts during the recession.

MARK BRODIE: The group called Citizens to Save Arizona's Natural Resources has taken out paperwork, to start gathering signatures to put the proposal on November’s ballot. It would prevent lawmakers from sweeping money for state parks into the general fund, and guarantee free admission into state parks for Arizona kids on school field trips. The measure would also allow vehicle owners to donate $14 a year to help pay for it when they register their vehicles. Those donations would be voluntary, but people would have to opt out of making them, otherwise they’d be charged. Supporters of the Arizona Natural Resources Protection Act have to gather almost 173,000 valid voter signatures by July 5 to qualify for the November ballot.

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