SB 125

This bill requires the Department of Natural Resources to obligate up to

$5,200,000 in unobligated moneys under the Warren Knowles-Gaylord Nelson

Stewardship 2000 Program to fund critical health and safety-related water

infrastructure projects and high-priority water infrastructure projects in state

parks, prioritizing projects in those state parks with the highest demand.

Current law authorizes the state to incur public debt for certain conservation

activities under the stewardship program, which is administered by DNR. The state

may incur this debt to acquire land for the state for conservation purposes and for

property development activities and may award grants or state aid to certain local

governmental units and nonprofit conservation organizations to acquire land for

these purposes.

The stewardship program consists of five subprograms. Current law

establishes the amounts that DNR may obligate in each fiscal year through 2019-20

for expenditure under each of these subprograms. Prior to fiscal year 2011-12, if

DNR did not obligate the full amount it was authorized to obligate in a fiscal year

under a subprogram, DNR was required to adjust the annual bonding authority for

that subprogram by raising the annual bonding authority for the next fiscal year by

the amount unobligated in that given fiscal year. Beginning in fiscal year 2011-12,

under current law, if DNR does not obligate an amount authorized to be obligated for

a subprogram in a fiscal year, DNR may not adjust the annual bonding authority for

that subprogram by raising the annual bonding authority for the next fiscal year.

Under current law, portions of the unobligated amounts for the land

acquisition, property development and local assistance, and recreational boating

aids subprograms from fiscal years 2011-12 to 2016-17 are obligated for specific

purposes. For example, not more than $4,500,000 of the unobligated amount for

these subprograms from fiscal year 2016-17 is obligated to fund critical health and

safety-related water infrastructure projects and high-priority water infrastructure

projects in state parks, prioritizing projects in those state parks with the highest

demand. For this same purpose, the bill obligates up to $5,200,000 of the unobligated

amount for these subprograms from fiscal years 2016-17 and 2017-18.

This bill increases the amount appropriated to DNR for state park operations

by $300,000 in fiscal year 2018-19, with priority placed on state parks with the

highest demand.