Image by Indiana Capitol Chronicle
Full article by Niki Kelly here.
House Bill 1003 is a 456 page bill that reforms hundreds of boards and commissions in Indiana. One of the key concerns in the bill is the utter dissolution of the Natural Resources Commission (NRC). The NRC is responsible for acting as liaison between the general public and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the agency responsible for the enforcement and monitoring of many of our conservation laws. Losing the NRC means losing the opportunity for the public to use their voice to influence conservation in Indiana. This would wall off our conservation legislation from public input and allow our Governor to operate with more power and significantly less transparency.
“Fifteen groups representing hunters, conservation groups and wildlife entities this week sent a letter in support to lawmakers as well as key leaders in Gov. Mike Braun’s administration.
“It is unclear what problem is being solved in this legislation by eliminating the commission and directing its authorities to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) other than to make it harder for the public to be more directly engaged in natural resource issues,” the coalition said. “Our organizations and our members directly pay for, regularly use, and actively support our public lands, wildlife management and natural resources, and we did not ask for this change.”“