SSB 1208 (LSB 2100SC (6) 85)

SENATE FILE _____

BY  (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE BILL BY CHAIRPERSON SENG)

A BILL FOR

An Act making an appropriation to support soil and water conservation by the department of agriculture and land stewardship.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  PURPOSE.
   The purpose of this Act is to increase the annual appropriation made by the general assembly to the department of agriculture and land stewardship for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2013, and ending June 30, 2014, for the soil conservation division. The appropriation made in this Act is intended to supplement and not supplant any appropriation made in another Act as enacted during the first session of the Eighty-fifth General Assembly.
    Sec. 2.  SOIL CONSERVATION —— APPROPRIATION.  There is appropriated from the environment first fund created in section 8.57A to the department of agriculture and land stewardship for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2013, and ending June 30, 2014, the following amounts, or so much thereof as is necessary, to be used for the purposes designated:
   1.  For use by the department in providing for soil and water conservation administration, the conservation of soil and water resources, or the support of soil and water conservation district commissioners:
.................................................. $  7,000,000
   2.  Not more than 5 percent of the moneys appropriated in subsection 1 may be allocated for cost sharing to address complaints filed under section 161A.47.
   3.  Of the moneys appropriated in subsection 1, 5 percent shall be allocated for financial incentives to establish practices to protect watersheds above publicly owned lakes of the state from soil erosion and sediment as provided in section 161A.73.
   4.  Not more than 30 percent of a soil and water conservation district’s allocation of moneys as financial incentives may be provided for the purpose of establishing management practices to control soil erosion on land that is row cropped, including but not limited to no-till planting, ridge-till planting, contouring, and contour strip-cropping as provided in section 161A.73.

   5.  The state soil conservation committee established by section 161A.4 may allocate moneys appropriated in subsection 1 to conduct research and demonstration projects to promote conservation tillage and nonpoint source pollution control practices.
   6.  The allocation of moneys as financial incentives as provided in section 161A.73 may be used in combination with moneys allocated by the department of natural resources.
   7.  Not more than 15 percent of the moneys appropriated in subsection 1 may be used for costs of administration and implementation of soil and water conservation practices.
   8.  In lieu of moneys appropriated in section 466A.5, not more than $50,000 of the moneys appropriated in subsection 1 shall be used by the soil conservation division of the department of agriculture and land stewardship to provide administrative support to the watershed improvement review board established in section 466A.3.
EXPLANATION
   This bill states that its purpose is to supplement the annual appropriation made by the general assembly to the soil conservation division of the department of agriculture and land stewardship for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2013, and ending June 30, 2014.
   Specifically, the bill appropriates moneys from the environment first fund (Code section 8.57A) for use by the department in providing for soil and water conservation administration, the conservation of soil and water resources, or the support of soil and water conservation district commissioners. The appropriation is for $7 million with a number of conditions relating to how the moneys may be expended, including to address complaints, to protect watersheds, to establish management practices to control soil erosion on land that is row-cropped, to conduct research and demonstration projects, to provide financial incentives, to support administration, and to support the watershed improvement review board.