Alabama 2025 Regular Session

Alabama House Bill HB92 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

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1		-	~~HB92ENGROSSED~~
	1	+	HB92INTRODUCED
2	2		Page 0
3	3		HB92
4		-	~~V2ZUPVL-2~~
	4	+	3CUDEVZ-1
5	5		By Representative Brown
6	6		RFD: Ports, Waterways & Intermodal Transit
7	7		First Read: 04-Feb-25
8	8		PFD: 24-Jan-25
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14		-	6 ~~HB92 Engrossed~~
	14	+	6 3CUDEVZ-1 12/17/2024 ZAK (L)ZAK 2024-2896
15	15		Page 1
16	16		PFD: 24-Jan-25
	17	+	SYNOPSIS:
	18	+	This bill would create the Alabama Seagrass
	19	+	Restoration Task Force to address and remediate the
	20	+	loss of seagrass within state marine waters.
17	21		A BILL
18	22		TO BE ENTITLED
19	23		AN ACT
20	24		Relating to state marine waters; to create the Alabama
21	25		Seagrass Restoration Task Force; and to provide for its
22	26		membership and duties.
23	27		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
24	28		Section 1. It is the intent of the Legislature to
25	29		establish a collaborative and coordinated effort among public
26	30		and private research entities to develop restoration
27	31		technologies and approaches to address the loss of seagrass
28	32		within state marine waters and the cascading ecological and
29	33		economic impacts of that loss to this state.
30	34		Section 2. (a) The Alabama Seagrass Restoration Task
31	35		Force is established to lead and expedite formulating,
32		-	testing, and developing innovative, effective, cost-efficient,
33		-	and environmentally sustainable technologies to restore
34		-	coastal seagrass ecosystems by building upon research and
35		-	efforts within the public and private sectors.
36		-	(b) The task force shall consist of the following
37		-	members:
38		-	(1) The executive director of the Dauphin Island Sea
39		-	Lab to serve as a cochair.
	36	+	testing, and implementing innovative, effective,
	37	+	cost-efficient, and environmentally sustainable technologies
	38	+	to restore coastal seagrass ecosystems by building upon
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67		-	28 HB92 ~~Engrossed~~
	66	+	28 HB92 INTRODUCED
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	68	+	to restore coastal seagrass ecosystems by building upon
	69	+	research and efforts within the public and private sectors.
	70	+	(b) The task force shall consist of the following
	71	+	members:
	72	+	(1) The executive director of the Dauphin Island Sea
69	73		Lab to serve as a cochair.
70	74		(2) The President of the University of South Alabama,
71	75		or his or her designee, to serve as a cochair.
72	76		(3) The Chair of the House of Representatives Ports,
73	77		Waterways, and Intermodal Transit Committee.
74	78		(4) The Commissioner of Conservation and Natural
75	79		Resources, or his or her designee who has expertise in
76	80		seagrass ecosystems.
77	81		(5) The Director of the Mobile Bay National Estuary
78	82		Program.
79	83		(6) A member from a private commercial enterprise
80	84		appointed by the Governor.
81	85		(7) A member from a public or private university in
82	86		this state other than the University of South Alabama
83	87		appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate.
84	88		(8) Two members from a non-university public or private
85	89		marine environmental organization with one member appointed by
86	90		the Speaker of the House of Representatives and one member
87	91		appointed by the Lieutenant Governor.
88		-	(c) The task force shall develop in ~~accordance with~~
89		-	this act a 10-year Alabama Seagrass ~~Restoration Plan to~~
90		-	~~recommend~~ the tools, approaches, and ~~technologies developed~~
91		-	pursuant ~~thereto~~.
	92	+	(c) The task force shall develop and administer in
	93	+	accordance with this act a 10-year Alabama Seagrass
	94	+	Restoration Plan to implement the tools, approaches, and
	95	+	technologies developed pursuant hereto.
92	96		(d) If a vacancy occurs for any appointed member, the
93		-	respective appointing authority shall appoint a new member.
94		-	(e) The appointing authorities shall coordinate their
95		-	appointments to assure the task force membership is inclusive
96		-	and reflects the racial, gender, geographic, urban, rural, and
97		-	economic diversity of this state.
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	124	+	56 HB92 INTRODUCED
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	126	+	(d) If a vacancy occurs for any appointed member, the
	127	+	respective appointing authority shall appoint a new member.
	128	+	(e) The appointing authorities shall coordinate their
	129	+	appointments to assure the task force membership is inclusive
	130	+	and reflects the racial, gender, geographic, urban, rural, and
127	131		economic diversity of this state.
128	132		(f) Task force members shall serve without compensation
129	133		but may be reimbursed for actual expenses associated with
130	134		attending meetings by their respective authority, entity, or
131	135		department according to applicable law.
132	136		(g) The initial meeting of the task force shall be
133	137		called by the cochairs and shall be held by January 1, 2026.
134	138		Thereafter the task force shall meet no less than twice per
135	139		year.
136	140		(h) The Dauphin Island Sea Lab shall provide all
137	141		necessary staff and support, including meeting space, to the
138	142		task force for the performance of its duties.
139	143		(i) Not later than the first day of each regular
140	144		session of the Legislature, the task force shall provide a
141	145		report of its progress made in developing and administering
142	146		the 10-year Alabama Seagrass Restoration Plan and its
143	147		findings, conclusions, accomplishments, priorities for
144	148		subsequent years, and recommendations for proposed
145	149		legislation, if any, to the Governor, President Pro Tempore of
146	150		the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the
147	151		Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources.
148	152		Section 3. (a) The Dauphin Island Sea Lab shall be the
149	153		fiscal agent for all funds appropriated to the task force to
150	154		achieve the goals of the task force.
151		-	(b) The Dauphin Island Sea Lab, with the consent of the
152		-	task force, may use funds appropriated to the task force to
153		-	facilitate engagement with other relevant marine science and
154		-	technology development organizations in this state, nation,
155		-	and around the world to pursue applied research and technology
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183		-	84 HB92 ~~Engrossed~~
	182	+	84 HB92 INTRODUCED
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	184	+	achieve the goals of the task force.
	185	+	(b) The Dauphin Island Sea Lab, with the consent of the
	186	+	task force, may use funds appropriated to the task force to
	187	+	facilitate engagement with other relevant marine science and
	188	+	technology development organizations in this state, nation,
185	189		and around the world to pursue applied research and technology
186	190		for the successful restoration of seagrass ecosystems.
187	191		(c) The Dauphin Island Sea Lab may retain funds
188	192		appropriated to the task force for administrative costs
189	193		expended by the sea lab pursuant to this section.
190	194		(d) The task force shall leverage, to the extent
191	195		possible, all state-appropriated funds with additional funds
192	196		from private and federal sources.
193		-	Section 4. This act shall become effective on October
	197	+	Section 4. Upon the completion of research conducted
	198	+	pursuant to this act and recommendations of the task force,
	199	+	subject to appropriation by the Legislature, the Department of
	200	+	Conservation and Natural Resources shall implement seagrass
	201	+	restoration projects in accordance with the 10-year Alabama
	202	+	Seagrass Restoration Plan in waters of this state .
	203	+	Section 5. This act shall become effective on October
194	204		1, 2025.
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203		-	93 HB92 Engrossed
204		-	Page 5
205		-	1, 2025.
206		-	House of Representatives
207		-	Read for the first time and referred
208		-	to the House of Representatives
209		-	committee on Ports, Waterways &
210		-	Intermodal Transit
211		-	................04-Feb-25
212		-	Read for the second time and placed
213		-	on the calendar:
214		-	1 amendment
215		-	................12-Feb-25
216		-	Read for the third time and passed
217		-	as amended
218		-	Yeas 101
219		-	Nays 0
220		-	Abstains 0
221		-	................18-Feb-25
222		-	John Treadwell
223		-	Clerk
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