EXTREMELY IMPORTANT: Rep. Jim Cobb Threatening to Shut Down TWRA

[bd-]

Just when we thought we were facing a disaster from the feds shutting down trout hatcheries, our State General Assembly has come along to make it even worse.

I am getting word from some connected folks I know that Representative Jim Cobb (Republican, District 31) may intend to use some legislative maneuvering tomorrow to threaten to kill TWRA.

Without getting into too much detail - the House currently has Cobb's bill, HB 0258, which would prevent TWRA from "sunsetting" and extend the Agency through June 30, 2012. Without this bill renewing TWRA, it will cease to exist. Rumor from reliable sources is that Cobb may intend to hold the bill in committee to keep it from coming to a floor vote. The Senate has already passed a bill to prevent sunsetting, but since this is Cobb's bill in the House, he can single-handedly prevent it from coming to the floor.

To be blunt, this is the stupidest, most ridiculous, most irresponsible affront to sportsmen that an elected representative could ever come up with. Without TWRA, we have no game wardens to enforce the rules, no biologists to make sure fish and wildlife are managed effectively, no hunter safety, no stocking programs, no nothing.

When people like Rep. Cobb talk big about "supporting sportsmen" and "Constitutional hunting and fishing amendments," but then they play crass political games with TWRA and the great outdoor opportunities we have in Tennessee, it's an insult. Nothing bothers me more than hypocrisy - I don't care if you have an R or a D behind your name, an elected Rep who "talks the talk" is no good to any of us if he does not also "walk the walk."

Here's an article on the issue:

http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_200954.asp

Tennessee Wildlife Federation has it exactly right: "This effort appears to be a purely political move designed to harm the Agency."

Rep. Cobb is Chairman of the House Government Operations Committee. If TWRA gets killed, this is where it is going to happen.

Folks, it's time to light up Rep. Cobb's phone. I'm pretty heated up about this, but it's important to be POLITE !!!! However - it's urgent to let him know that we care about TWRA and the sportsmen of this state will consider it a Very Bad Thing if he takes this action to kill the Agency. Contact other members of the Committee too, especially if you are one of their constituents.

Phone calls are better than e-mails. Government Operations Committee members are:

Officers:
• Jim Cobb, Chair – 615-741-1450 – rep.jim.cobb@capitol.tn.gov
• Barrett Rich, Vice-Chair – 615-741-6890 – rep.barrett.rich@capitol.tn.gov
• Tony Shipley, Secretary – 615-741-2886 – rep.tony.shipley@capitol.tn.gov

Members
• Barbara Cooper – 615-741-4295 – rep.barbara.cooper@capitol.tn.gov
• Craig Fitzhugh – 615-741-2134 – rep.craig.fitzhugh@capitol.tn.gov
• Steve Hall – 615-741-2287 – rep.steve.hall@capitol.tn.gov
• Julia Hurley – 615-741-7658 – rep.julia.harvey@capitol.tn.gov
• Mike Kernell – 615-741-3726 – rep.mike.kernell@capitol.tn.gov
• Debra Maggart – 615-741-3893 – rep.debra.maggart@capitol.tn.gov
• Judd Matheny – 615-741-7448 – rep.judd.matheny@capitol.tn.gov
• Gerald McCormick – 615-741-2548 – rep.gerald.mccormick@capitol.tn.gov
• Mike Turner – 615-741-3229 – rep.mike.turner@capitol.tn.gov

If my sources are correct, this all may go down mid-morning tomorrow (Wednesday) so do not delay.

bd

[tkwalker]

Folks bombard the phones first !!!! TWRA is an Agency .... Not a bureauracy !!! ... It is the best thing for the state !!!! ... Some things Jim Cobb has done is good .... Hand gun permits ... but he is not a sportsman .... Please call all of the numbers listed by BD ... First and then emails ... I have done both .... This is critical !!! ... Thanks bd ....

[rodholder]

Just called TWRA here in Nashville and asked for an update on this topic. The secretary knew nothing of the proposal and transferred me to the legal department of TWRA. The only thing they knew of was the email sent out by the Wildlife Federation referring to Rep Cobbs proposal and said for any information or updates i should contact Rep Cobb!! If this is a valid proposal by Rep Cobb, shouldn;t the TWRA legal department and also the secretary answering the phones be aware of it?? I was somewhat shocked at this response!!

[bd-]

It's inconceivable to me that they did not know what's going on. I wonder if someone instructed them to not comment on the situation and deflect calls from the public.

Update: Rep. Cobb has followed through on his threat. HB 0258 has been "rolled," meaning TWRA is now in "wind down" mode.

http://www.newschannel9.com/news/age...wra-house.html

I can't emphasize enough how stupid this is. TWRA should be focused on managing wildlife and supporting sportsmen - instead, these political games in the House mean they've got to focus on "going out of business."

There are a lot of very good people working hard for TWRA, and it's inexcusable that they should have to be put in the position of worrying about their families and whether they will have a job next year. It wastes money, staff time, and morale.

Call your elected reps and let them know we sportsmen don't appreciate this, and we did not elect them for this. Don't they have better things to do?

bd

[Travis C.]

This is so absolutely ridiculous.

I have contact those people on the list and suggest all the same.

TDOT can work on the same stretch of road for years but they will simply do away with this agency over some personal vendetta.

bd, from a legal side what is the percentages here of a shut down guarantee. When can it be offical one way or another?


.....no offense to any TDOT workers out there.

[robhal11]

The TWRA has not always done little things over the years that I liked, but I have travled around the country some(as I am sure most of you have) and we here in Tennessee have some of the best hunting and fishing and wildlife preserves in the country. I have friends fly in here from all over the country, for turkey, deer, striper, etc... When I first started deer hunting in the mid 70's you couldn't hardly find one and the hunters were all over each other, now we have a huge abundence of them. Same with trout and turkeys, you guys know. The TWRA does a great job with the resources it has as far as I am concerened. Not always to my liking but always for the benefit of the wildlife. I called and email them this morning. Hope everyone will. Thanks.

[oldhick]

It's more complicated than some lawmaker just wanting to get rid of TWRA. Here is a quote from Cobb:

“This move will have no effect on the agency itself. No one will lose their jobs and I expect the TWRA to continue functioning as normal. I am actually pleased with the good work that is being done by our wildlife officers throughout the State. Unfortunately, the Commission responsible for managing the affairs of the agency has been hard to reach, obstinate in their views, and uncooperative in their actions. That must change.”

and this,

Sen. Watson said that allowing agencies to go into "wind down" is not uncommon, pointing out that the Dept. of Education has been in wind down for the last year, although their Sunset Provision was expected to be renewed Wednesday.

So call/write your legislator if you like, but try to be informed before you say something you regret.

[Travis C.]

Travis,
The e-mail you received saying gov ops was about to do away with TWRA was full of deception and TWRA will not go away. The bill is about the commission and even then, they don't go away. No one's job is threatened. The email was a scare tactic and has no merit and very little truth.
Jim Cobb

Thanks,
Lizzy Thornton
Legislative Assistant
Representative Jim Cobb
615-741-1100 ext 44129

Why would they do that?Is it some move to cut back on state spending or trying to save money or something.Or is it that they dont get along and he is just trying to shut them down.I dont understand what the reason is for trying to do this is?

[Adough]

Wait a sec Rep. Cobb, is now saying this is only a scare tactic? WTF! You are working on my dollar. Scare tactic my ass. Sounds more like it hit the fan. I'm guessing there were numerous calls to his office, numerous. I'm sorry Rep. Cobb but when you work on my dollar you are working for me. Playing politics is a pathetic excuse, and a pathetic thing to do. Looks like he just saw his re-election jump off the hook.

[bd-]

Note that in Cobb's first quote, he admits that the Commission is "responsible for managing the affairs of the Agency," but then in the second he tries to downplay his move to terminate the Commission by saying criticizing the move is just a "scare tactic."

The Commission is responsible for allocating TWRA's budget and passing new game regs. Claiming that terminating the Commission doesn't affect TWRA is pure, unadulterated hogwash.

Cobb claims this is about the Commission being "hard to reach, obstinate in their views, and uncooperative in their actions." With due respect to Rep. Cobb, I've been to Commission meetings, I've spoken with our Commissioners (for example when we were seeking the improved trout regs on the Caney Fork), and they have been accessible, professional, and helpful every time. So respectully, maybe the problem isn't the Commission, Rep. Cobb.

Anyone who thinks the General Assembly would do a better job managing wildlife than the Commission has done should take a long, hard look at the disaster Rep. Nicely almost created with his "commercial whitetail deer farming" bill only a few months ago. See http://www.pursuithunting.com/2011/0...-business.html

bd

[tkwalker]

Folks just for an up date ... I have spoken to Doug Markham, a TWRA spokesman ... a long time friend for many years that I can remember great breakfeast's in my house before Mike Anderson and I took him out to catch a trophy Striper ... Doug is a honest and resposible spokesman for TWRA ... TWRA is abreast of the Jim Cobb situation and will keep me informed of any progress on this situation ... ... Stay tunned And thanks bd ... You are a treasure for this site ... Plus you are legal LOL !!! <'TK><

[Travis C.]

From Doug's site,

Some of you have heard that the General Assembly has “deferred” a decision on weather to “sunset” the TWRA’s 13-member commission. This is serious news, not something that should be overlooked. It could be that a few members of the House--and that is where this deferrel is coming from (not the Senate). I’m not sure which issue these few House members are upset about, but I do know that the sportsmen of Tennessee don’t deserve to be a part of whatever issue these members have. And this is the second year that the “sunset” provision has been used to threaten the existence of TWRA as we know it. I’m not going to name names, in part because I really don’t know them, but am I going to tell you the sportsmen that the sunsetting of the commission would open doors wide to the whims of political motivations. I promise you that you do not want your fish or wildlife managed by folks with politics in mind and not the resource.



Sunsetting the body that governs TWRA would ultimately leave the agency in ae lurch. Who would govern decison made? Where would TWRA end up? Where would management ideas come from and who would administer them? There might not be a single job lost, but what would happen to the management of our fish and wildlife?



You may be thinking, can a committee make such enormous changes to our wildlife agency without input from the full House and Senate? My understanding is yes, it could. I urge you to visit the Tennessee Wildlife Federation’s website to learn more since this is the primary organizaton of sportsmen who work with the legislature on a daily basis (http://www.tnwf.org/).



The TWRA in its current form was created in 1974 to remove politics--as much as is possible--from wildlife management. Sure, governors appoint commission members and so there definitely are some poltics involved. But, open it even more to scores of legislators and watch out.



You may not see this in the main press for a while. And everything may soon smooth over. But, I’ll tell you again---it would be a bad idea for the sake of average sportsmen (like me) to lose your wildlife commission.



As a sportsman of Tennessee who has purchased licenses for nearly 40 years, I’m concerned about the future of an agency that, while not perfect, has made a many good decisions and worked hard to create a wonderful hunting, fishing, and wildlife viewing state.