Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB530 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTING LA W.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	hb0530
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 530
8	8	M1 5lr2334
9	9	CF 5lr2995
10	10	By: Delegates Stein, Cardin, and Lehman
11	11	Introduced and read first time: January 22, 2025
12	12	Assigned to: Environment and Transportation
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Maryland Forestry Education Fund – Mandatory Funding – Extension 2
19	19
20	20	FOR the purpose of extending the fiscal years in which the Governor is required to include 3
21	21	a certain appropriation in the annual budget bill for the Maryland Forestry 4
22	22	Education Fund; and generally relating to the Maryland Forestry Education Fund. 5
23	23
24	24	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 6
25	25	Article – Natural Resources 7
26	26	Section 5–2001 8
27	27	Annotated Code of Maryland 9
28	28	(2023 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 10
29	29
30	30	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 11
31	31	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 12
32	32
33	33	Article – Natural Resources 13
34	34
35	35	5–2001. 14
36	36
37	37	(a) In this section, “Fund” means the Maryland Forestry Education Fund. 15
38	38
39	39	(b) There is a Maryland Forestry Education Fund. 16
40	40
41	41	(c) The purpose of the Fund is to expand and enhance: 17
42	42
43	43	(1) The Maryland Forestry Foundation’s capacity to provide education and 18
44	44	resources that support Maryland’s forest landowners; 19
45	45
46	46	(2) The ability of district forestry boards and the knowledge of local 20
47	47	governments in Maryland to achieve: 21
48	48	2 HOUSE BILL 530
49	49
50	50
51	51	(i) Environmental, economic, and social sustainability of forest 1
52	52	health; and 2
53	53
54	54	(ii) The sustainable management of forest resources; and 3
55	55
56	56	(3) The ability of businesses to test innovative best management practices 4
57	57	in forestry. 5
58	58
59	59	(d) The Maryland Forestry Foundation shall administer the Fund. 6
60	60
61	61	(e) (1) The Fund is a special, nonlapsing fund that is not subject to § 7–302 of 7
62	62	the State Finance and Procurement Article. 8
63	63
64	64	(2) The State Treasurer shall hold the Fund separately, and the 9
65	65	Comptroller shall account for the Fund. 10
66	66
67	67	(f) The Fund consists of: 11
68	68
69	69	(1) Money appropriated in the State budget to the Fund; 12
70	70
71	71	(2) Interest earnings; and 13
72	72
73	73	(3) Any other money from any other source accepted for the benefit of the 14
74	74	Fund. 15
75	75
76	76	(g) The Fund may be used only for: 16
77	77
78	78	(1) Providing training and education to forest landowners, district forestry 17
79	79	boards, and local governments to ensure the landowners, boards, and governments are well 18
80	80	informed on advances and developments in: 19
81	81
82	82	(i) Healthy forest management; 20
83	83
84	84	(ii) Ecological service markets; 21
85	85
86	86	(iii) Emerging forestry threats; 22
87	87
88	88	(iv) Climate science; 23
89	89
90	90	(v) Forest conservation; 24
91	91
92	92	(vi) Urban forestry; 25
93	93
94	94	(vii) Sustainability science; 26
95	95
96	96	(viii) Forestry policy; 27
97	97	HOUSE BILL 530 3
98	98
99	99
100	100	(ix) Forestry practices; and 1
101	101
102	102	(x) Resource options that promote the multiple benefits of forest 2
103	103	management; 3
104	104
105	105	(2) Providing outreach and engagement that builds local capacity and 4
106	106	institutionalizes sustainability efforts within communities and the district forestry boards, 5
107	107	including: 6
108	108
109	109	(i) Holding a forest sustainability conference once every 2 years; 7
110	110
111	111	(ii) Implementing a peer–to–peer learning exchange; and 8
112	112
113	113	(iii) Providing healthy forest presentations; 9
114	114
115	115	(3) Developing and expanding a healthy forest education and conservation 10
116	116	program; 11
117	117
118	118	(4) Improving the outreach of district forestry boards by providing 12
119	119	education, recognition, strategies, and actions the boards can implement; 13
120	120
121	121	(5) Providing small grants to district forestry boards, forest landowners, 14
122	122	local governments, and businesses to test innovative best management practices in 15
123	123	forestry; 16
124	124
125	125	(6) Recognizing the efforts forest landowners and local governments make 17
126	126	toward achieving healthy, sustainable forest management; and 18
127	127
128	128	(7) Expenses related to the administration of the Fund. 19
129	129
130	130	(h) (1) The State Treasurer shall invest the money of the Fund in the same 20
131	131	manner as other State money may be invested. 21
132	132
133	133	(2) Any interest earnings of the Fund shall be credited to the Fund. 22
134	134
135	135	(i) Expenditures from the Fund may be made only in accordance with the State 23
136	136	budget. 24
137	137
138	138	(j) Money expended from the Fund for the outreach, training, education, and 25
139	139	grants under subsection (g) of this section is supplemental to and is not intended to take 26
140	140	the place of funding that otherwise would be appropriated for forestry education and 27
141	141	outreach. 28
142	142
143	143	(k) For fiscal years 2025 [and 2026] THROUGH 2031, the Governor shall include 29
144	144	in the annual budget bill an appropriation of $250,000 to the Fund. 30
145	145	4 HOUSE BILL 530
146	146
147	147
148	148	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 1
149	149	1, 2025. 2