HB 78 — Forest health grant program.

SORIGINAL TATE OF W YOMING 26LSO-0180 HOUSE ENGROSSED BILL NO.

HB0078 ForestENROLLED healthACT grantNO. program.

Sponsored41, by:HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SIXTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING BUDGET SESSION AN ACT relating to state forestry;

Select Water Committee A BILL for AN ACT relating to state forestry;

providing a sunset date;

8 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

eligible entities;

HB0078 STATE OF WYOMING 26LSO-0180 2 (a) There is created the forest health grant program.

8 (b) ExceptThe asstate otherwiseforester providedmay inonly subsectiongrant (c)funds ofto thisnonprofit section,and grantsgovernmental underorganizations the forest health grant program shall pay for not more than seventy-five percent (75%) of the costpurposes of an eligible forest health project as specified in this subsection.section.

Any(c) otherExcept sourceas ofotherwise funds,provided cashin orsubsection in-kind(d) contributionsof maythis besection, usedgrants asunder matchingthe fundsforest tohealth covergrant theprogram remaindershall ofpay afor project'snot costsmore andthan theseventy-five statepercent forester(75%) mayof requirethe thatcost matchingof fundsan beeligible obligatedforest tohealth payproject foras aspecified portionin ofthis anysubsection. project.

Any other source of funds, cash or in-kind contributions may be used as matching funds to cover the remainder of a project's costs and the state ORIGINAL HOUSE ENGROSSED BILL NO.

HB0078 ENROLLED ACT NO.

41, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SIXTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING BUDGET SESSION forester may require that matching funds be obligated to pay for a portion of any project.

HB0078 STATE OF WYOMING 26LSO-0180 2 (ii) Reduction of the risk of catastrophic wildfire damage;

5 (iii) Increased production of forest products;

7 (iv) Improvement of habitat conditions for wildlife and livestock;

(c)(d) Any grant under the forest health program that is used on federal land shall not pay for more than fifty percent (50%) of the cost of an eligible forest health project as specified under subsection (b)(c) of this section.

If a forest health project is conducted through HB0078 STATE OF WYOMING 26LSO-0180 good neighbor authority, receipts collected through implementation of the project may be used as matching funds under this subsection.

5ORIGINAL (d)HOUSE NoENGROSSED forestBILL healthNO. grant shall be made under this section without the written opinion of the attorney general certifying the legality of the grant and all documents connected with the grant and project.

(e)HB0078 ThereENROLLED isACT createdNO. the forest health grant program account.

41, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SIXTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING BUDGET SESSION (e) No forest health grant shall be made under this section without the attorney general's review and approval of the grant.

(f) There is created the forest health grant program account.

4(g) HB0078 STATE OF WYOMING 26LSO-0180 (f) The state forester shall annually report to the joint agriculture, state and public lands and water resources interim committee not later than September 1 on all grants awarded under this section including the amounts of the grants and the projects the grants were authorized to fund.

8Section (g)2. No forest health grants under this section shall be approved after July 1, 2030 and any unobligated funds remaining in the forest health grant program account on July 1, 2030 shall:

(i)There Ifis theappropriated sourcethree ofmillion thefive fundshundred werethousand notdollars state($3,500,000.00) funds,from bethe returned,general withoutfund interest or other earnings, to the personforest thathealth granted,grant gave,program transferred,account bequeathedfor orpurposes donatedof theimplementing fundsthis pursuantact toand subsectionmaking (d)grants ofauthorized by this section.act.

If there are multiple sources of funds that are not state funds, the funds may be provided on a pro rata basis using the amount of funds available in the account and the amount of funds transferred to the account from each source;

or 5 HB0078 STATE OF WYOMING 26LSO-0180 (ii) If the source of the funds were state funds, revert to the general fund or other state fund from which the funds were initially appropriated.

5 Section 2.

There is appropriated three million dollars ($3,000,000.00) from the general fund to the forest health grant program account for purposes of implementing this act and making grants authorized by this act.

9-2-1008, 9-2-1012(e) and 9-4-207, this appropriation shall remain in effect and not lapse or revert at the end of any fiscalORIGINAL periodHOUSE exceptENGROSSED uponBILL furtherNO. legislative action.

HB0078 ENROLLED ACT NO.

41, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SIXTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING BUDGET SESSION fiscal period except upon further legislative action.

This act is effective Julyimmediately 1,upon 2026.completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constitution.

(END) HB0078Speaker of the House President of the Senate Governor TIME APPROVED:

_________ DATE APPROVED:

_________ I hereby certify that this act originated in the House.

Chief Clerk 4