As many of you heard today on a call with Senator Chris Murphy and in a message from the Land Trust Alliance, in a strong bipartisan action, the Senate voted 65-33 today to pass the omnibus bill that will make the tax incentive for conservation easement donations permanent.
This follows yesterday's 318-109 vote in the House. Among other provisions, the bill also
renews the IRA rollover (so donors over 70.5 can contribute from their IRA's.)
This legislation represents a huge win for conservation, for landowners and for the land trust community.
Once signed into law the incentive will be applied retroactively to start Jan. 1, 2015.
Great news for LWCF: Today's vote also reauthorized the Land and Water Conservation Fund for three years and increased its funding from $306 million last year to $450 million this year.
Great news for Highlands: In addition to these victories, a record $10 million was appropriated for the Highlands Conservation Act, which will bring at least a couple of million dollars to Connecticut's Highlands' projects next year.
Let's say THANK YOU! Please be sure to thank Senators
Murphy and
Blumenthal and Representatives
Courtney,
DeLauro,
Esty and
Larson for their steadfast support of the incentive and these critically important conservation funding programs.
And many thanks to our friends at the
Land Trust Alliance and other partners for their tireless work over the last decade in getting this job done on our behalf down in D.C.!
And thanks to you! We've been told time and again that your advocacy makes a difference. Today's amazing news for conservation is proof of that!
Happy New Year, indeed!
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