Feb. 12, 2013

  

Legislation Briefing

Utah and Surrounding States.

The main bill in Utah that we are following is HB 142. Last week when we emailed you the bill had not been made public. Here is the link to info on the bill: http://le.utah.gov/~2013/bills/static/HB0142.html

  

USA-ALL is in support of this bill and we anticipate it will pass.  The bill is the next step towards Utah gaining title and control of federally mis-managed public land.

  

We have received a call for help from our friends in NM. NM has introduced a bill that is more benign than what we did in Utah last year. Opponents of the bill are killing the bill by distorting the truth and bombarding legislators with misleading emails. You know you're on to something when radical environmentalists start flipping out over an action you're taking. So here is what we need from you. We will include a link to the NM bill and a letter asking for help. If you wish you should act on the call for help and certainly send to anyone you may know in NM. NM is a key piece of the puzzle. We must have other states support what we did in Utah. If we can do this then we can compel the feds to listen to us and perhaps work something out. NM is a strategic state that will make our voice much louder. Please help out if you can. USA-ALL has been supportive of the effort in NM and other states.

  

For a great article on the NM effort Click Here this is a MUST READ! http://thewesterner.blogspot.com/2013/02/transfer-of-public-lands-act.html

  

NM's Call for Help:

  

New Mexico State Rep. Yvette Herrel (R) needs your help! Her bill ( HB 292 Transfer of Public Lands Act ) is in trouble and may be heard in the NM Health, Government, and Indian Affairs Standing Committee as early as tomorrow. NO MATTER when it is heard send an email to ALL members of BOTH committees even if you don't get to it until later this week.

 

Your IMMEDIATE action is needed! Even if you have sent an email before we need you to do it again. Get everyone you know to do the same. Spread the word to your email lists, Facebook friends, etc. The list of legislators that need to hear from you TODAY is below. If YOU help us we WILL prevail.

 

Rep. Herrell is carrying a critical bill that would BEGIN a process to DISCUSS IF NM should pursue challenging federal ownership and management of public lands. This bill has been horribly distorted and maligned by fearful opponents. Some are claiming that this bill is unconstitutional, has no chance of success, and that it is an attempt to take land and sell it to the highest bidder. NONE of that is true. We wonder if detractors have even read the bill.

 

This bill officially sets up a task force to talk about possibilities. Rep. Herrel is planning on moving a few amendments to remove language that requested the federal government turn title to the land over to NM. She also plans to formally include more private user groups, tribal input, and less government agencies on the task force. This group will meet and discuss issues between now and next session and report to legislators on their findings.

 

This bill is essentially a memorial with a bill number. ALL IT DOES IS SET UP A GROUP TO DISCUSS ISSUES! Yet despite this, opponents continue to lie and mislead the public and legislators. Last time we checked the constitution protected our right to gather and discuss issues. The bill with amendments makes no demand of the federal government. The bill DOESN'T grant power or authority to even receive the land much less sell it. The bill will have a minuscule fiscal impact. We also expect the fiscal analyst to release a new FIR based on the substantial amendments. The purpose of this bill is simply to get stake holders and interested parties together to discuss pros and cons to the state of New Mexico owning and managing the land. There will also be discussion about how to obtain title and what action, if any, NM is willing to take.

 

The opponents of this bill are using fear tactics and misinformation to prevent it from passing. They are flooding key legislators with emails full of distortions. The opposition this simple and benign bill is facing tells me we are on to something that can be very empowering to the citizens of NM and indeed all Americans in general. I know many of us understand the incredible positive potential that exists with NM owning and managing public lands. I would stress that this bill ONLY allows us to formally DISCUSS such potential. It is a first step in a good direction but it may be the last step. WITHOUT YOUR IMMEDIATE HELP we will never know because legislators are scared by the volume of opposition emails.

 

PLEASE take the emails of the House committee members below and send a supportive email to ALL OF THEM.

 

Tell them who you are and why you care. Be brief and polite. REMIND THEM this bill (HB 292 Transfer of Public Lands Act) simply allows a formal discussion to take place. ENCOURAGE THEM to do the right thing and not squelch the opportunity to discuss a critical issue to NM and our country.

 

This bill has a long way to go but if we can get it through the next 2 House committees we stand a good chance of seeing it pass.

 

Cut and paste the following addresses into your email:

 

NM House Health, Government, and Indian Affairs Standing Committee:

james.madalena@nmlegis.gov,alonzo.baldonado@nmlegis.gov,kelly.fajardo@nmlegis.gov,natefornm@gmail.com, emilykane4nm@gmail.com ,

rodolpho.martinez@nmlegis.gov, docmcmillan@gmail.com , liz.thomson@nmlegis.gov , lucky4st@msn.com , yherrell@yahoo.com

 

NM House Judiciary Standing Committee:

gail@gailchasey.com, georgene.louis@nmlegis.gov , eliseo.alcon@nmlegis.gov , kelly.fajardo@nmlegis.gov , natefornm@gmail.com ,

zachary.cook@nmlegis.gov, emilykane4nm@gmail.com , brian.egolf@nmlegis.gov , docmcmillan@gmail.com , miguel.garcia@nmlegis.gov ,

Rep16@moejustice.com, paul.pacheco@nmlegis.gov , bill.rehm@nmlegis.gov , pat.roybalcaballero@nmlegis.gov , mimi.stewart@nmlegis.gov

 

New Mexico: House Standing Committee: Health, Government and Indian Affairs
Title	First Name	Last Name	Party	Email	Phone
Representative	Jame s	Madalen a	D Chai r	james.madalena@nmlegis.go v	(575) 834-700 5
Representative	Nick	Salazar	D V. Chair		(505) 663-5849
Representative	Alonzo	Baldonado	R	alonzo.baldonado@nmlegis.gov	(505) 363-6214
Representative	Kelly	Fajardo	R	kelly.fajardo@nmlegis.gov	(505) 573-0471
Representative	Nate	Gentry	R	natefornm@gmail.com	(505) 508-0782
Representative	Yvette	Herrell	R	yherrell@yahoo.com	(575) 430-2113
Representative	Emily	Kane	D	emilykane4nm@gmail.com	(505) 890-4319
Representative	Rodolpho	Martinez	D	rodolpho.martinez@nmlegis.gov	(575) 537-8609
Representative	Terry	McMillan	R	docmcmillan@gmail.com	(575) 635-0534
Representative	Liz	Thomson	D	liz.thomson@nmlegis.gov	(505) 239-1781
Representative	Luciano	Varela	D	lucky4st@msn.com	(505) 982-1292

 

New Mexico: House Standing Committee: Judiciary
Title	First Name	Last Name	Party	Email	Phone
Representative	Gail	Chasey	D Chair	gail@gailchasey.com	(505) 246-2221
Representative	Georgene	Louis	D Vice Chair	georgene.louis@nmlegis.gov	(505) 938-9144
Representative	Eliseo	Alcon	D	eliseo.alcon@nmlegis.gov	(505) 285-6387
Representative	Kelly	Fajardo	R	kelly.fajardo@nmlegis.gov	(505) 573-0471
Representative	Nate	Gentry	R	natefornm@gmail.com	(505) 508-0782
Representative	Zachary	Cook	R	zachary.cook@nmlegis.gov	(575) 937-7644
Representative	Emily	Kane	D	emilykane4nm@gmail.com	(505) 890-4319
Representative	Brian	Egolf	D	brian.egolf@nmlegis.gov	(505) 986-9641
Representative	Terry	McMillan	R	docmcmillan@gmail.com	(575) 635-0534
Representative	Miguel	Garcia	D	miguel.garcia@nmlegis.gov	(505) 877-8131
Representative	Cathrynn	Brown	R
Representative	Antonio	Maestas	D	Rep16@moejustice.com	(505) 242-2279
Representative	Paul	Pacheco	R	paul.pacheco@nmlegis.gov	(505) 263-9235
Representative	Bill	Rehm	R	bill.rehm@nmlegis.gov	(505)259-3398
Representative	Patricia	Caballero	D	pat.roybalcaballero@nmlegis.gov	(505) 710-5996
Representative	Mimi	Stewart	D	mimi.stewart@nmlegis.gov	(505) 275-2355

 

  

So while we have excelled in many things but one area we have FAILED MISERABLY is communicating with our members and working with local clubs and associations. Yeah, we are painfully aware of this. We just don't have the bandwidth to do it all. We truly do care. SO a few of our board members are trying to make the rounds and meet with local clubs and help facilitate better communication. WE WANT to come speak to your group no matter how big or small. Additionally, we want YOU to attend our board meetings and communicate your wants, needs, and desires. We also would like to create some local sub-chapters of USA-ALL so we can help work on more local issues, better serve our members, and grow our organization. If you have an interest in ANY of this PLEASE CALL Mike Swenson at (801) 830-9112 or email him at mike@usall.org .

 
We REALLY NEED YOUR HELP. We are out of bandwidth and we don't have the money to hire out for some of these jobs. You might have noticed it has been months since our last email...that is a direct result of too much to do and not enough man power to do everything.

  

Additionally, USA-ALL just lost our SUPER volunteer and board member, Lynn Coray. Lynn is preparing to serve an LDS mission. Lynn helped us process donations, sticker requests, and donation receipts. He was a huge asset and a great friend. He will be sorely missed. 

  

We are in DESPERATE need of help!! HELP! Here is what we need if you or someone you know thinks they can contribute PLEASE CONTACT US. Most of this work can be done from your home on your own time. We have remote access to a server so all you need is a computer and internet connection. We can set it up for you and show you how to do the jobs. they are all pretty easy they just take some time and consistency.

  

We need help with: Picking up the mail from our Provo, Eastbay PO Box. Processing donations, making deposits, and sending our donation receipts.

  

We need help processing sticker requests.

  

We need help updating our forthcoming NEW website with news articles, content, notices, etc. You don't need to be a developer to do this job.

  

We need help maintaining our Face book and twitter accounts. This will involve regular communication with Mike and posting quick notices and interesting articles, etc.

  

We need help creating more regular emails....like this one. We can show you how to do it. It is easy and you don't need any special skills, except decent writing skills. We haven't set the bar very high there so don't worry. This job will also involve regular communication with Mike. We will help you with what to write about.

  

We need help organizing and acquiring new volunteers for special projects and attending events such as trade shows.

  

We have other needs but that is a good start. If you have another idea of how YOU can contribute PLEASE call and lets discuss.

  

For all of the above jobs we will show you how to do the work. You just need to have the desire and time to give. USA-ALL will NOT achieve our full potential without you and others volunteering time and giving of yourself.  

 
2012 was our lowest year for donations perhaps since 1998!  We will soon make our 2012 financial report made available to you. But honestly USA-ALL is running on fumes. We have seen increases in individual donations but we still hurt from lack of business support that went away in 2008. There is no fat in our operations. Any where we trim back on spending will result in USA-ALL doing less. We can't afford to do less. We are as efficient as we can be. Our Treasurer is a wonderful CPA who monitors our books and has really helped us be as lean and well managed as possible. Never the less we are hurting BADLY.

  

Many of us at USA-ALL are frustrated. We know we can continue as we have for the past couple of years. We raise sufficient money to do some real good. In fact we perform miracles on a shoe string budget. But many of us are not satisfied with JUST doing SOME good. WE KNOW we can do SOOOO MUCH MORE. But our success is a direct function of how much financial and volunteer support we get. If you are one of the few thousand people that gave to USA-ALL in the last 12 months, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! If you are not PLEASE HELP. Certainly our work and our cause is worth sending us a $100 a year. Many of us spend tens and tens of thousands of dollars on motorized toys. Why can't we give a pittance to a organization that works hard to ensure you have a place to use those toys? So money might be tight for you, we get it, really we do. There is hardly a soul out there who couldn't afford to donate $5 per month or a one time donation of $30. Why do we make our amazing organization BEG like poppers for a little money to continue to battle on behalf of all motorized recreationists? Certainly YOU care. Certainly you will help by clicking the button below and donating as much as you can to help us be better, do more, and protect the access to the land we all love.

  

If you have any trouble donating or have reservations or concerns please call Mike Swenson at (801) 830-9112. He will be happy to speak with you and help as needed.

  

THANKS AGAIN TO ALL OUR WONDERFUL DONORS! YOU are the life blood of our organization.

Contact:

Michael Swenson, Executive Director
PO Box 50592 Provo, UT 84605| (801) 850-9315

mike@usaall.org