SB 0327

This bill creates a grant program administered by the department of environmental services for aid to lake associations and towns which seek to administer a milfoil and other exotic plants prevention program, and to institutions of higher learning which seek to conduct research on milfoil and other exotic plants remediation techniques. Eligible applicants are required to provide a minimum resource match of 50 percent of the proposed program budget.

This bill also creates a special milfoil and other exotic plants prevention and research grant fund to provide moneys for the program. Funding for the grant program is provided by an increase to the boat registration fee.

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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

1 Increase in Boat Registration Fee for Lakes Restoration and Preservation Fund. Amend RSA 270-E:5, II (a) to read as follows:

(a) [$2] $5 for each registration specified in paragraph I. The fees collected under this subparagraph shall be paid into the lake restoration and preservation fund established under RSA 487:25.

2 Lake Restoration and Preservation Fund; Milfoil and Other Exotic Plants Prevention and Grant Program.. Amend RSA 487:25, I to read as follows:

I. An additional fee of [$2] $5 to those already collected under the provisions of RSA 270-E:5 for each private boat registered shall be paid to the director of the division of motor vehicles. The director of the division of motor vehicles shall pay over said additional fees to the state treasurer who shall keep said fees in a special fund to be expended by the department of environmental services. The department shall use $.50 of the fee for lake restoration and preservation measures, exclusive of exotic aquatic weed control, and $1.50 of the fee for the control of exotic aquatic weeds, and $3 of the fee for the milfoil and other exotic plants prevention and grant program. The special fund shall be nonlapsing. All funds received under this section are continually appropriated to the department for the purposes of this subdivision.

3 New Subdivision; Milfoil and Other Exotic Plants Prevention. Amend RSA 487 by inserting after section 25 the following new subdivision:

487:26 Grant Program Established. There is hereby established a grant program to be administered by the department of environmental services for the allocation of money to lake associations and towns which seek to administer a milfoil and other exotic plants prevention program, and institutions of higher learning which seek to conduct research on milfoil and other exotic plants remediation techniques. The grant program shall be funded by the lake restoration and preservation fund, established under RSA 487:25. Up to 2/3 of the moneys distributed from the fund to the milfoil and other exotic plants prevention and grant program shall be allocated for the purposes of milfoil and other exotic plants prevention programs and the remainder shall be allocated to milfoil and other exotic plants remediation research projects.

487:27 Management Plan. The department of environmental services shall establish a management plan to implement the grant program. The management plan shall include, but not be limited to:

IV. Stewardship requirements and procedures, including annual reporting to the department by the grantee.

I. The department of environmental services shall distribute funds for projects to further the purposes of this chapter only to eligible applicants. Eligible applicants shall include:

(a) Publicly-supported nonprofit corporations exempt from federal income taxation under section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code.

II. All eligible applicants shall provide a minimum level of matching resources equal to 50 percent of the proposed program budget. The cost-sharing match may be met through the use of in-kind services. Qualifying matching funds from the applicant may include, but are not limited to, municipal appropriations, private donations, federal funds, and the value of goods and services provided by the applicant.

The Departments of Safety and Environmental Services state this bill will increase state restricted revenue by $294,600 and restricted expenditures by an indeterminable amount in FY 2003 and each year thereafter. There may be an indeterminable impact on county and local revenue and expenditures in FY 2003 and each year thereafter.

The Department of Safety states this bill establishes the Milfoil and Other Exotic Plants Prevention and Grant Program to be administered by the Department of Environmental Services (DES). The $2.00 fee for each private vessel registered, in accordance with RSA 270-E:5,II(a) and RSA 487:25, I, is proposed to increase by $3.00. This increase will be deposited in the Lake Restoration and Preservation Fund already established in DES. There are approximately 98,200 registered commercial, rental and private vessels. The Department believes this number should remain relatively constant over the years projected. Revenues to the Lake Restoration and Preservation Fund will increase by $294,600 (98,200 X $3.00) in FY 2003 and each year thereafter.

The Department of Environmental Services states the additional funding that will be brought in by the $3.00 increase to boat registrations will enhance an existing program that is not capable of funding research projects and volunteer initiatives to the degree that it is necessary to prevent the spread of exotic aquatic plants. The increase will supplement the existing programs, specifically for the purposes of this bill.

The Department also states this bill will increase state, county, and local expenditures by an indeterminable amount in FY 2003 and each year thereafter. Funds are for grants that will be requested from non-profit groups and universities. It is not possible to determine expenditures, though grants totaling equal to or less than the annual income will be given. Lake associations and universities may request variable amounts of funding for specific projects, and the required match from county or local political subdivisions cannot be determined.