AUSTIN, Texas -- State park proponents are on a mission to build support for Proposition 5 that will appear on the November 5 ballot.

If approved, it would guarantee sales taxes on sporting goods would go to fund state and local parks. The funds would not be able to be used for any other purposes.

“The legislature in 1993 decided and told voters that it would be used for parks only, but there wasn’t any requirement for that to happen. In due course, the legislature routinely raided those funds and used them for other purposes,” said Luke Metzger, Executive Director of Environment Texas.  

Metzger added that from 1993 to 2017, the state collected nearly $2.5 billion in revenues from the sporting goods sales tax, yet only 40 percent has been appropriated for parks.

Click the video link above to watch our full interview with Metzger, including what redirecting those funds could mean for Texas parks.