House File 560 - Introduced
HOUSE FILE
BY DAVITT, BELL, PETERSEN,
FREEMAN, THOMAS, and
LUKAN
Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date
Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays
Approved
A BILL FOR
1 An Act establishing a public areas, recreation, and key spaces
2 program and fund, making appropriations, and providing a
3 contingent effective date.
4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
5 TLSB 2538YH 81
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PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. NEW SECTION. 456A.38 PUBLIC AREAS,
1 2 RECREATION, AND KEY SPACES PROGRAM AND FUND == APPROPRIATION.
1 3 1. As used in this section, unless the context otherwise
1 4 requires:
1 5 a. "Committee" means the project review and selection
1 6 committee established in subsection 3.
1 7 b. "Dilapidated" means decayed, deteriorated, or fallen
1 8 into partial disuse through neglect or misuse.
1 9 c. "Fund" means the public areas, recreation, and key
1 10 spaces fund created in subsection 4.
1 11 d. "Program" means the public areas, recreation, and key
1 12 spaces program established in subsection 2.
1 13 2. The department shall establish and administer a public
1 14 areas, recreation, and key spaces program for purposes of
1 15 providing financial assistance to communities, cities,
1 16 counties, organizations, and associations for the location and
1 17 construction of recreational parks in areas determined to be
1 18 dilapidated and to provide financial assistance for
1 19 researching or conducting feasibility studies to determine if
1 20 an area is suitable for the location of a recreational park.
1 21 Any county or city park must meet the requirements for state
1 22 park establishment. Financial assistance under the program
1 23 shall take the form of local matching grants.
1 24 3. The department shall establish a project review and
1 25 selection committee consisting of six members selected by the
1 26 director. Membership shall consist of two representatives of
1 27 cities, two representatives of counties, and two
1 28 representatives of organizations. The committee shall review
1 29 and evaluate project applications submitted under the program
1 30 and develop funding recommendations for submission to the
1 31 department. In reviewing applications, the committee shall
1 32 consider the public demand or need for recreational parks, the
1 33 quality of the site or project, the urgency of the proposed
1 34 project, any multiple benefits including economic development
1 35 benefits, conformance with local, regional, or statewide
2 1 plans, geographic distribution of financial assistance awards,
2 2 and the quality of the partnership between public and private
2 3 interests. The department shall approve, deny, or defer each
2 4 recommendation by the committee. In approving a
2 5 recommendation, the department may modify recommendations of
2 6 the committee. The department shall notify the grow Iowa
2 7 values board regarding any award of financial assistance under
2 8 the program.
2 9 4. A public areas, recreation, and key spaces fund is
2 10 created in the state treasury under the control of the
2 11 department consisting of any moneys appropriated by the
2 12 general assembly and any other moneys available to and
2 13 obtained or accepted by the department for placement in the
2 14 fund. The fund shall be used to provided financial assistance
2 15 under the program as provided in subsection 2. Moneys in the
2 16 fund are not subject to section 8.33. Notwithstanding section
2 17 12C.7, interest or earnings on moneys in the fund shall be
2 18 credited to the fund.
2 19 5. For the fiscal period beginning July 1, 2005, and
2 20 ending June 30, 2010, there is appropriated from the grow Iowa
2 21 values fund to the department one million dollars each fiscal
2 22 year for deposit in the public areas, recreation, and key
2 23 spaces fund created in subsection 4.
2 24 6. The department shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter
2 25 17A for purposes of administering the program.
2 26 Sec. 2. CONTINGENT EFFECTIVENESS. This Act takes effect
2 27 upon the enactment of legislation creating the grow Iowa
2 28 values fund and board by the general assembly during the 2005
2 29 legislative session.
2 30 EXPLANATION
2 31 This bill establishes a public areas, recreation, and key
2 32 spaces program and fund.
2 33 The bill requires the department of natural resources to
2 34 establish and administer a public areas, recreation, and key
2 35 spaces program for purposes of providing financial assistance
3 1 to communities, cities, counties, organizations, and
3 2 associations for the location and construction of recreational
3 3 parks in areas determined to be dilapidated and to provide
3 4 financial assistance for researching or conducting feasibility
3 5 studies to determine if an area is suitable for the location
3 6 of a recreational park. The bill provides that any county or
3 7 city park must meet the requirements for state park
3 8 establishment. The bill provides that financial assistance
3 9 under the program shall take the form of local matching
3 10 grants.
3 11 The bill requires the department to establish a project
3 12 review and selection committee consisting of six members
3 13 selected by the director of the department of natural
3 14 resources for purposes of reviewing and evaluating project
3 15 applications and developing funding recommendations for
3 16 submission to the department. The bill provides criteria for
3 17 the committee to consider in evaluating the applications. The
3 18 bill requires the department to approve, deny, or defer each
3 19 recommendation by the committee and allows the department to
3 20 modify recommendations of the committee. The bill requires
3 21 the department to notify the grow Iowa values board regarding
3 22 any award of financial assistance under the program.
3 23 The bill creates a public areas, recreation, and key spaces
3 24 fund in the state treasury under the control of the department
3 25 consisting of any moneys appropriated by the general assembly
3 26 and any other moneys available to and obtained or accepted by
3 27 the department for placement in the fund. For the fiscal
3 28 period beginning July 1, 2005, and ending June 30, 2010, the
3 29 bill appropriates $1 million each fiscal year from the grow
3 30 Iowa values fund to the department for deposit in the public
3 31 areas, recreation, and key spaces fund.
3 32 The bill takes effect upon enactment of legislation
3 33 creating a grow Iowa values fund and board during the 2005
3 34 legislative session.
3 35 LSB 2538YH 81
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