Late last month, the Senate introduced its proposed budget. The weakening of our economy has lead to a historic decline in our state’s revenues, and we now face a $9 billion shortfall.

Under the Senate’s proposed budget, our state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) likely will be forced to cut $30 million from its budget—the equivalent of 144 full-time employees. This will have a drastic impact on our state’s wildlife and the recreational opportunities we all enjoy.

This will undercut recovery efforts for our state’s 38 separate endangered species by 30 percent. DFW also will have to reduce its Watchable Wildlife and Fish activities by 60 percent. This program brings $1.5 billion in economic activity every year to our state.

Under this budget reduction, our state will see a 50-percent loss in our conservation planning ability, which will impact our ability to provide accurate planning and protection of state species that have the greatest need for conservation.

There are viable ways to ensure programs like these continue to be funded. Allowing the state lottery to offer the game of Keno with more than one draw per day could provide a funding mechanism to help preserve the programs and jobs at DFW.

The game of Keno is offered by state lotteries around the country and is primarily drawn multiple times throughout the course of an hour. Multiple-draw Keno generated more than $2.6 billion in sales for U.S. lotteries last year. Currently the Washington Lottery offers players a chance to play Keno only once a day. Increasing the frequency of the Keno draws by the Washington State Lottery would not constitute an expansion of gaming in our state as it is already offered here. For years, casinos in our state have offered Keno with multiple daily drawings.

The time has come for the state lottery to be allowed to offer Keno with multiple daily draws. We must not turn our backs on potential revenue that could help support the continued good work of the state’s Fish and Wildlife Department. It is estimated that a multiple-draw Keno game offered by the lottery would generate between $18 million and $32.5 million in revenue for the state of Washington.

I urge my colleagues in the state Legislature to support Senate Bill 6107. We must address the impending budget hole that would curtail, if not eliminate important programs at the Fish and Wildlife Department, and this is a simple and tax free way to generate badly needed revenue.

Sen. Ken Jacobsen, D-Seattle, is the chairman of the Senate Natural Resources, Ocean & Recreation Committee.