RÉSUMÉ DIGEST
ACT 279 (SB 216) 2019 Regular Session Chabert
New law creates in the state treasury, as a special fund, the State Land Office Reforestation
Fund, or "fund".
New law provides that, subject to appropriation by the legislature, monies in the fund be used
solely for the following purposes:
(1)Funding reforestation of state properties.
(2)Preparing state-owned timber sites for cultivation.
(3)Paying fees assessed by the Dept. of Agriculture and Forestry for timber
management.
(4)Purchasing necessary servitudes or easements to improve timber harvesting.
(5)Purchasing servitudes or tracts of land to increase access to landlocked state
properties.
New law provides that the fund consist of any monies appropriated, allocated, or transferred
to the fund, including 25% of the proceeds from the sale of timber pursuant to prior law, and
25% of the proceeds from the sale of timber pursuant to a timber management program under
prior law.
New law provides that monies in the fund be invested by the state treasurer in the same
manner as monies in the state general fund, and that interest earned on investment of monies
in the fund be credited to the fund, with any unexpended and unencumbered monies in the
fund at the end of the fiscal year to remain in the fund.
New law provides that at the end of each fiscal year, the state treasurer is authorized and
directed to transfer into the state general fund any monies exceeding $500,000.
New law requires the register of the state land office to submit as part of the annual report
to the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment and the Senate Committee
on Natural Resources required by prior law, a descriptive list by parish of the revenues,
expenditures, and projects associated with the provisions of new law.
Effective August 1, 2019.
(Adds R.S. 39:100.151)