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1 H.467
2 SHORT FORM
3 Introduced by Representatives Torre of Moretown, Burrows of West Windsor,
4 Hango of Berkshire, Hyman of South Burlington, Jerome of
5 Brandon, Lipsky of Stowe, Priestley of Bradford, Sibilia of
6 Dover, Sims of Craftsbury, Templeman of Brownington, and
7 Williams of Granby
8 Referred to Committee on
9 Date:
10 Subject: Conservation and development; recreation; recreational trails
11 Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to make multiple
12 changes related to recreation. The bill would establish the Green Mountain
13 Recreation Fund as a sustainable source of funding for organizational capacity
14 and recreation-related development and stewardship. The Fund would be
15 funded from five percent of the existing tax on the gallonage sale of malt and
16 vinous beverages. The Fund would be used to fund:
17 (1) one full-time staff position at the Vermont Trails and Greenways
18 Council (VTGC) whose duties would be to:
19 (A) administer membership to the VTGC;
20 (B) manage VTGC meetings, activities, operations, and budget;
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1 (C) routinely assess the needs of the Vermont trail stewardship
2 community;
3 (D) develop, manage, and deploy technical assistance resources for
4 VTGC members; and
5 (E) execute the VTGC’s advisory role to the Agency of Natural
6 Resources, as defined in statute;
7 (2) one full-time staff position at the Department of Forests, Parks and
8 Recreation whose duties would be to:
9 (A) administer membership to the Vermont Trail System (VTS);
10 (B) ensure members comply with VTS program requirements;
11 (C) provide support to the Vermont Trails and Greenways Council;
12 (D) provide technical assistance to VTS members; and
13 (E) facilitate the development of tools and resources in the resource
14 library;
15 (3) one full-time staff position at the Department of Forests, Parks and
16 Recreation to lead program administration of the Green Mountain Recreation
17 Fund whose duties would be to:
18 (A) develop and maintain information about grant opportunities;
19 (B) host trainings and other events to support applicants and grantees;
20 (C) develop and maintain a regular grant cycle; and
21 (D) manage a grant selection process;
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1 (4) the creation of grants for nonprofit trail organizations for
2 organizational capacity; and
3 (5) the creation of grants to be used by nonprofits and municipalities to
4 advance the purposes of the Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic
5 Collaborative.
6 The bill would also require that (1) at least 10 percent of each newly
7 constructed trail on State lands or using State funds be accessible to individuals
8 with physical disabilities, and (2) accessible trail buildouts use the U.S.
9 Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service Trail Accessibility Guidelines.
10 The bill would also appropriate $5,000,000.00 to the Department of
11 Forests, Parks and Recreation in fiscal year 2024 for the Vermont Outdoor
12 Recreation Economic Collaborative (VOREC) Community Grant Program.
13 An act relating to outdoor recreation
14 It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont:
15 (TEXT OMITTED IN SHORT-FORM BILLS)
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