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DES MOINES, IOWA (AP) -- The Senate is taking the first step in a long process that could lead to an increase in spending on environmental and outdoor programs.
On a 47-2 vote the Senate approved a resolution calling for voters to have a say on amending the state constitution.
The proposed amendment says if the Legislature increases the state's sales tax, three-eighths of the new money must go to environmental and outdoor programs.
Advocates have long sought a dedicated funding source for environmental programs, including the Resource Enhancement and Protection program, or REAP. It was approved in the 1980s to pay for an array of programs but has been limited by tight budgets.
Advocates say a new funding source could solve that problem.
The proposal faces a difficult path, and the earliest the measure could make the ballot is 2010.
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