EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTING LA W.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb0530*
HOUSE BILL 530
M1 5lr2334
CF 5lr2995
By: Delegates Stein, Cardin, and Lehman
Introduced and read first time: January 22, 2025
Assigned to: Environment and Transportation
A BILL ENTITLED
AN ACT concerning 1
Maryland Forestry Education Fund – Mandatory Funding – Extension 2
FOR the purpose of extending the fiscal years in which the Governor is required to include 3
a certain appropriation in the annual budget bill for the Maryland Forestry 4
Education Fund; and generally relating to the Maryland Forestry Education Fund. 5
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 6
Article – Natural Resources 7
Section 5–2001 8
Annotated Code of Maryland 9
(2023 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 10
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 11
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 12
Article – Natural Resources 13
5–2001. 14
(a) In this section, “Fund” means the Maryland Forestry Education Fund. 15
(b) There is a Maryland Forestry Education Fund. 16
(c) The purpose of the Fund is to expand and enhance: 17
(1) The Maryland Forestry Foundation’s capacity to provide education and 18
resources that support Maryland’s forest landowners; 19
(2) The ability of district forestry boards and the knowledge of local 20
governments in Maryland to achieve: 21
2 HOUSE BILL 530
(i) Environmental, economic, and social sustainability of forest 1
health; and 2
(ii) The sustainable management of forest resources; and 3
(3) The ability of businesses to test innovative best management practices 4
in forestry. 5
(d) The Maryland Forestry Foundation shall administer the Fund. 6
(e) (1) The Fund is a special, nonlapsing fund that is not subject to § 7–302 of 7
the State Finance and Procurement Article. 8
(2) The State Treasurer shall hold the Fund separately, and the 9
Comptroller shall account for the Fund. 10
(f) The Fund consists of: 11
(1) Money appropriated in the State budget to the Fund; 12
(2) Interest earnings; and 13
(3) Any other money from any other source accepted for the benefit of the 14
Fund. 15
(g) The Fund may be used only for: 16
(1) Providing training and education to forest landowners, district forestry 17
boards, and local governments to ensure the landowners, boards, and governments are well 18
informed on advances and developments in: 19
(i) Healthy forest management; 20
(ii) Ecological service markets; 21
(iii) Emerging forestry threats; 22
(iv) Climate science; 23
(v) Forest conservation; 24
(vi) Urban forestry; 25
(vii) Sustainability science; 26
(viii) Forestry policy; 27
HOUSE BILL 530 3
(ix) Forestry practices; and 1
(x) Resource options that promote the multiple benefits of forest 2
management; 3
(2) Providing outreach and engagement that builds local capacity and 4
institutionalizes sustainability efforts within communities and the district forestry boards, 5
including: 6
(i) Holding a forest sustainability conference once every 2 years; 7
(ii) Implementing a peer–to–peer learning exchange; and 8
(iii) Providing healthy forest presentations; 9
(3) Developing and expanding a healthy forest education and conservation 10
program; 11
(4) Improving the outreach of district forestry boards by providing 12
education, recognition, strategies, and actions the boards can implement; 13
(5) Providing small grants to district forestry boards, forest landowners, 14
local governments, and businesses to test innovative best management practices in 15
forestry; 16
(6) Recognizing the efforts forest landowners and local governments make 17
toward achieving healthy, sustainable forest management; and 18
(7) Expenses related to the administration of the Fund. 19
(h) (1) The State Treasurer shall invest the money of the Fund in the same 20
manner as other State money may be invested. 21
(2) Any interest earnings of the Fund shall be credited to the Fund. 22
(i) Expenditures from the Fund may be made only in accordance with the State 23
budget. 24
(j) Money expended from the Fund for the outreach, training, education, and 25
grants under subsection (g) of this section is supplemental to and is not intended to take 26
the place of funding that otherwise would be appropriated for forestry education and 27
outreach. 28
(k) For fiscal years 2025 [and 2026] THROUGH 2031, the Governor shall include 29
in the annual budget bill an appropriation of $250,000 to the Fund. 30
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SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 1
1, 2025. 2