HF 735
HF 735, SOIL CONSERVATION and HUNTING PARKS & TRAILS. Appropriates funds to a DALS conservation practices revolving loan fund and to the public hunting, parks, and trails program fund. The bill appropriates .5 percent of sales and use tax receipts for a 10-year period from July 1, 2005, and ending June 30, 2015, into the conservation practices revolving loan for the purpose of establishing new permanent soil and water conservation practices on private land.
The bill appropriates 1.5 percent of sales and use tax receipts for the 10-year period from July 1, 2005, and ending June 30, 2015, and 2 percent thereafter to fund a DNR program to establish a public hunting, parks, and trails program and fund and appropriates revenue arising from the sales and use tax to fund the program. The purpose of the program is to undertake projects to lease and maintain land for public hunting, undertake projects involving vertical infrastructure in public parks, and to undertake projects for recreation trails development, but not involving the purchase of rights-of-way to recreation trails. Creates a public hunting, parks, and trails program advisory board consisting of six public members who represent three agricultural groups and three conservation, habitat, and wildlife groups and who are appointed by the DNR director. Amended & passed HNR subcom. Goes to HNRC. The amendment does the following: 1) 98% of the sales tax goes to the General Fund, 2) 0.5% goes to the conservation practices revolving loan fund, 3) 1.5% goes into the public hunting, parks, and trails program fund, 4) removes the sunset for soil conservation funding therefore the amount going to the DNR would stay at 1.5%, 5) adds repair as an authorized purpose for trails and acquisition is deleted, 6) of the portion going to the DNR, 40% is for hunting access, 30% for state park infrastructure, and 30% is for trails. The 40% is to be spread among counties and an equal basis, and 7) the bill is to take effect July 1, 2007 (no budget implications this year).
