House File 647 - Introduced
HOUSE FILE 647
BY SIEGRIST
A BILL FOR
1 An Act creating a restore the outdoors program to support
2 vertical infrastructure projects by the department of
3 natural resources, and making appropriations.
4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
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1 Section 1. NEW SECTION. 8.57D Restore the outdoors program
2 —— appropriation.
3 1. As used in this section, unless the context otherwise
4 requires:
5 a. “Department” means the department of natural resources.
6 b. “Infrastructure” means vertical infrastructure as
7 described in section 8.57, subsection 5, paragraph “c”.
8 c. “Program” means the restore the outdoors program created
9 in this section.
10 2. A restore the outdoors program is created under the
11 management of the department.
12 3. The purpose of the program is to finance infrastructure
13 projects at existing state parks and other existing public
14 facilities managed by the department. The projects must
15 be for a major renovation or major repair of existing
16 infrastructure or the construction of new infrastructure.
17 However, the department shall not finance the new construction
18 of infrastructure, unless any of the following apply:
19 a. There is an increased demand for the infrastructure.
20 b. It is not cost effective to repair or renovate the
21 existing infrastructure.
22 4. There is appropriated from the rebuild Iowa
23 infrastructure fund for each fiscal year of the period
24 beginning July 1, 2021, and ending June 30, 2024, three million
25 dollars to the department to support the program.
26 5. Notwithstanding section 8.33, unencumbered or
27 unobligated moneys appropriated to the department under this
28 section that are remaining at the end of a fiscal year shall
29 not revert but shall remain available for expenditure by the
30 department during the following fiscal year to support the
31 purpose of the program.
32 6. The department shall submit a report to the governor
33 and general assembly not later than January 10 of each year
34 detailing how moneys received by the department to finance
35 completed and ongoing projects described in this section
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1 were expended and how moneys expected to be received by the
2 department in future years to finance those projects are
3 planned to be expended.
4 7. This section is repealed July 1, 2025.
5 EXPLANATION
6 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
7 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
8 PROGRAM. This bill creates a restore the outdoors program
9 (program) under the management of the department of natural
10 resources (DNR). The program is to finance certain projects
11 at existing state parks and other existing public facilities
12 managed by DNR. The projects must be for major repairs
13 or major renovations of existing infrastructure unless new
14 construction is justified on the basis of either an increase in
15 demand or that the major repair or renovation would not be cost
16 effective. DNR must submit an annual report to the governor
17 and general assembly detailing past expenditures used to
18 finance completed or ongoing projects and planned expenditures
19 to finance future projects. The program is eliminated on July
20 1, 2025.
21 INFRASTRUCTURE FUND —— APPROPRIATIONS. The bill
22 appropriates $3 million from the rebuild Iowa infrastructure
23 fund (Code section 8.57(5)) to DNR each fiscal year for a three
24 year period beginning July 1, 2021, and ending June 30, 2024,
25 to support the program. As used in the bill, infrastructure
26 refers to vertical infrastructure which includes items such
27 as land, structures, utilities, and recreational trails, but
28 excludes operational expenses (Code section 8.57(5)(c)).
29 BACKGROUND. The provisions of the bill are based on
30 provisions enacted in 1997 and partially item vetoed (1997 Iowa
31 Acts, chapter 215, section 37) which established a restore
32 the outdoors program managed by DNR (1997 Code Supplement
33 section 461A.3A). The Act also appropriated $3 million from
34 the rebuild Iowa infrastructure fund for each fiscal year of
35 a four-year period beginning July 1, 1997, and ending June
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1 30, 2001, to support the program. In 2000, a provision to
2 extend the annual appropriation until June 30, 2004, was
3 vetoed (2000 Iowa Acts, chapter 1225, section 24). For three
4 years, beginning in 2001, the program was supported by moneys
5 appropriated from the tobacco settlement trust fund (2001 Iowa
6 Acts, chapter 185, section 25; 2002 Iowa Acts, chapter 1173,
7 section 1; and 2003 Iowa Acts, chapter 177, section 22). In
8 2013, the program ended with the repeal of Code section 461A.3A
9 (2013 Iowa Acts, chapter 132, section 56).
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Statutes affected:
Introduced: 8.57