National Recreation and Park Association fighting for Park and Recreation Funding: state conservation, urban park funds at risk without your help

Parks & Recreation, July, 2003

NRPA is working hard to restore funding for Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) state assistance and the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Program (UPARR) for Fiscal Year 2004. As this issue of Parks & Recreation went to press, the House Subcommittee on the Interior and related agencies had proposed to provide $98 million for LWCF, identical to this fiscal year's funding level. UPARR would receive no funds in the subcommittee bill.

The four federal agencies eligible for LWCF funds--USDA Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management--would collectively receive $100 million, about $200 million less than current funding.

Rep. David Obey (D-Wis.), ranking minority member of the Appropriations Committee, called the recommendation a breach of an FY 2001 agreement to create a permanent "conservation trust" to fund several recreation and conservation programs, including urban parks and LWCF state assistance. That agreement was made in a move to thwart the authorization of a proposed Conservation and Reinvestment trust in 2000.

In February, President Bush proposed $160 million for LWCF state assistance, but no urban park funds in his FY 2004 proposed budget.

No date has been set for Senate subcommittee action on its version of the FY 2004 Interior bill. NRPA members are urged to take advantage of this lull and contact their federal representatives about the importance of full funding for these vital programs. See the end of this article for how to use NRPA's new, easy online advocacy tool.

NRPA Meets with Senate Staff on IDEA Reauthorization

NRPA met with key Senate staff members in June to discuss a bill proposed by Sens. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) and Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) that would reauthorize the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA). The bill would maintain current law definitions of related services, including recreation and therapeutic recreation services.

The bill includes several proposed changes to the definition and development of the Individualized Education Program (IEP), including:

* A statement of measurable annual goals that includes functional goals rather than strictly academic goals.

* The statement of the special education and related services for the child would include information on how the child is participating in extracurricular and other nonacademic activities, and how the child is being educated and participating with other children.

* The development of the IEP would consider the academic, developmental and functional needs of the child.

* For children who have reached the age of 18, parents would have an option of choosing a three-year IEP for the final three-year transition period.

* The bill doesn't include therapeutic recreation as an eligible service for Part C programs for infants and toddlers with disabilities. (Recreation and therapeutic recreation are defined as related services under current IDEA law.)

NRPA will continue to monitor progress of this bill and update members. The Senate reauthorization of IDEA is more in line with NRPA's preferred outcomes than is the House reauthorization bill, which proposes a three-year IEP process and allows schools to expel children with disabilities for any violation of school code.

NRPA's new online advocacy is located at http://gaO.org/nrpa/home.html. Go to this site to contact your legislators about UPARR, transportation funds and other park and recreation-related issues.