Wyoming 2025 Regular Session

Wyoming House Bill HB0101 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	2025
2	2	STATE OF WYOMING
3	3	25LSO-04011HB0101
4	4	HOUSE BILL NO. HB0101
5	5	Forest health grant program-3.
6	6	Sponsored by: Select Water Committee
7	7	A BILL
8	8	for
9	9	1 AN ACT relating to state forestry; creating the forest
10	10	2 health grant program; providing duties to the state
11	11	3 forester; creating an account; requiring the attorney
12	12	4 general to approve grants; requiring reports; providing a
13	13	5 sunset date; providing an appropriation; and providing for
14	14	6 an effective date.
15	15	7
16	16	8
17	17	9
18	18	10. W.S. 36-1-601 is created to read:
19	19	11
20	20	12 ARTICLE 6
21	21	13 FOREST HEALTH GRANT PROGRAM
22	22	14
23	23	15
24	24	16 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-04012HB0101
25	25	1
26	26	2 (a) There is created the forest health grant program.
27	27	3 The grant program shall be administered by the state
28	28	4 forester, who shall establish the application process and
29	29	5 any other requirements of the grant program not otherwise
30	30	6 provided by this section.
31	31	7
32	32	8 (b) Grants under the forest health grant program
33	33	9 shall pay for not more than seventy-five percent (75%) of
34	34	10 the cost of a forest health project. Any other source of
35	35	11 funds, cash or in-kind contributions may be used as
36	36	12 matching funds to cover the remainder of a project's costs
37	37	13 and the state forester may require that matching funds be
38	38	14 obligated to pay for a portion of any project. Forest
39	39	15 health projects eligible for grant funding under this
40	40	16 section shall be conducted on state, local government or
41	41	17 private land and shall be designed to accomplish one (1) or
42	42	18 more of the following:
43	43	19
44	44	20 (i) Enhancement of water yield or quality;
45	45	21
46	46	22 (ii) Reduction of the risk of catastrophic
47	47	23 wildfire damage; 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-04013HB01011
48	48	2 (iii) Increase production of forest products;
49	49	3
50	50	4 (iv) Improvement of habitat conditions for
51	51	5 wildlife and livestock;
52	52	6
53	53	7 (v) Any other project that is beneficial to
54	54	8 forest health, that is substantially beneficial to the
55	55	9 interest of the state and that has a public purpose as
56	56	10 determined by the state forester.
57	57	11
58	58	12 (c) No forest health grant shall be made without the
59	59	13 written opinion of the attorney general certifying the
60	60	14 legality of the grant and all documents connected with the
61	61	15 grant and project.
62	62	16
63	63	17 (d) There is created the forest health grant program
64	64	18 account. The account shall consist of those funds
65	65	19 designated to the account by law. Funds in the account
66	66	20 shall be used for grants authorized to be made under this
67	67	21 article. Individuals and other entities may also grant,
68	68	22 give, transfer, bequest or donate funds to the account. Any
69	69	23 funds remaining in this account at the end of any fiscal 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-04014HB0101
70	70	1 year shall not lapse or revert as provided by W.S. 9-4-207
71	71	2 but shall remain in the account and be used to implement
72	72	3 the purposes of this article. Accrued interest and other
73	73	4 earnings on unexpended funds within the forest health grant
74	74	5 program account shall be credited to the account.
75	75	6
76	76	7 (e) The state forester shall annually report to the
77	77	8 joint agriculture, state and public lands and water
78	78	9 resources interim committee not later than September 1 on
79	79	10 all grants awarded under this section including the amounts
80	80	11 of the grants and the projects the grants were authorized
81	81	12 to fund.
82	82	13
83	83	14 (f) No forest grants under this section shall be
84	84	15 approved after July 1, 2029 and any unobligated funds
85	85	16 remaining in the forest health grant program account on
86	86	17 July 1, 2029 shall:
87	87	18
88	88	19 (i) If the source of the funds were not state
89	89	20 funds, be returned to the individual or other entity that
90	90	21 granted, gave, transferred, bequeathed or donated the funds
91	91	22 pursuant to subsection (d) of this section; or
92	92	23 2025STATE OF WYOMING25LSO-04015HB01011 (ii) If the source of the funds were state
93	93	2 funds, revert to the general fund or other state fund from
94	94	3 which the funds were initially appropriated.
95	95	4
96	96	5There is appropriated three million
97	97	6 dollars ($3,000,000.00) from the general fund to the forest
98	98	7 health grant program account for purposes of implementing
99	99	8 this act and making grants authorized by this act. This
100	100	9 appropriation shall not be transferred or expended for any
101	101	10 other purpose without further legislative authorization.
102	102	11 Notwithstanding W.S. 9-2-1008, 9-2-1012(e) and 9-4-
103	103	12 this appropriation shall remain in effect and not lapse or
104	104	13 revert at the end of any fiscal period except upon further
105	105	14 legislative action. It is the intent of the legislature
106	106	15 that additional funding for this purpose be included in the
107	107	16 state forester's next budget request submitted under W.S.
108	108	17 9-2-1013.
109	109	18
110	110	19This act is effective July 1, 2025
111	111	20
112	112	21 (END)