House Study Bill 7



                                       HOUSE FILE       
                                       BY  (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON
                                            AGRICULTURE BILL BY
                                            CHAIRPERSON DRAKE)


    Passed House, Date                Passed Senate,  Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act relating to an appropriation from the environment first
  2    fund for the establishment of permanent soil and water
  3    conservation practices, by allocating moneys to support the
  4    administration of local governmental units, and providing an
  5    effective date.
  6 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  7 TLSB 1562HC 81
  8 da/sh/8

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  2004 Iowa Acts, chapter 1175, section 301,
  1  2 subsection 1, paragraph e, is amended by adding the following
  1  3 new subparagraph:
  1  4    NEW SUBPARAGRAPH.  (7)  Of the amount appropriated in this
  1  5 paragraph "e", $250,000 shall be used to reimburse
  1  6 commissioners of soil and water conservation districts for
  1  7 administrative expenses, including, but not limited to, travel
  1  8 expenses and technical training.  Moneys used for the payment
  1  9 of meeting dues by counties shall be matched on a dollar=for=
  1 10 dollar basis by the soil conservation division.
  1 11    Sec. 2.  DEPARTMENT == PAYMENT OF REIMBURSEMENT MONEYS.
  1 12 The department of agriculture and land stewardship shall
  1 13 reimburse commissioners of soil and water conservation
  1 14 districts the amount allocated pursuant to section 1 of this
  1 15 Act within ten days after the effective date of this Act.
  1 16    Sec. 3.  EFFECTIVE DATE.  This Act, being deemed of
  1 17 immediate importance, takes effect upon enactment.
  1 18                           EXPLANATION
  1 19    This bill amends a provision in S.F. 2298 (2004 Iowa Acts,
  1 20 ch. 1175) as enacted by the general assembly during its last
  1 21 session.  The $5.5 million appropriated from the environment
  1 22 first fund to the department of agriculture and land
  1 23 stewardship is to be used for purposes of providing financial
  1 24 assistance for the establishment of permanent soil and water
  1 25 conservation practices, which are generally authorized under
  1 26 Code chapter 161A.  The bill adds provisions which require the
  1 27 department to reimburse commissioners of soil and water
  1 28 conservation districts for administrative expenses, including,
  1 29 but not limited to, travel expenses and technical training.
  1 30 It also provides that moneys used for the payment of meeting
  1 31 dues by counties must be matched on a dollar=for=dollar basis
  1 32 by the department's soil conservation division.  Similar
  1 33 language has been included in past bills appropriating general
  1 34 fund moneys to the department (see 2000 Acts, ch. 1224,
  1 35 section 1, subsection 4).  The bill requires that the
  2  1 department reimburse the commissioners the designated amount
  2  2 within 10 days after the effective date of this bill.
  2  3 LSB 1562HC 81
  2  4 da/sh/8