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Numeric List Budget Accountability Health & Human Services Justice System Education State Employees Taxation & Revenue Wildlife & Environment Worker & Public Safety Tribal Affairs Senior Citizens	SF 37: Game and Fish Department Funding 2005 General Session Sponsor: Joint Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources Interim Committee          SF 37 would have made history by appropriating money from the state’s general fund for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, for the first time ever. The bill as introduced proposed an appropriation of $6.1 million, to be used mostly to pay for existing programs and, to a lesser extent, for expanded or new programs. The appropriation would have funded programs that are not limited strictly to species that are hunted or fished, but for programs that exist for the benefit of all wildlife species, including nongame species.          Supporters noted that while about 80% of the WGFD budget comes from hunting and fishing revenue (mainly licenses), the Department is legally required to manage many species that generate no revenue and are often costly to manage. They argued that the WGFD must spread some of the cost of wildlife preservation and management work to the broader public to avoid more frequent sportsman license fee increases.          Opponents argued that the WGFD should seek other sources of funding before turning to the general fund, and many worried that if the Department comes to depend on the Legislature for funding, they will lose their traditional autonomy and their ability to make decisions based on biology rather than political considerations.          The Senate Appropriations Committee reduced the appropriation in SF 37 from the requested $6.1 million down to $1.8 million, and then unanimously approved the bill. The bill died on general file in the Senate, when it was not heard before the deadline for the Committee of the Whole vote.