CHAPTER 236
HB 597-FN-A – FINAL VERSION
09Mar2005… 0430h
05/26/05 1515s
15Jun2005… 1918eba
2005 SESSION
01/04
HOUSE BILL 597-FN-A
COMMITTEE: Executive Departments and Administration
This bill:
I. Changes the name of the natural heritage inventory program to the natural heritage bureau.
II. Updates the organization names of mandated members of the natural areas council.
III. Changes the destination of the fees charged by the natural heritage bureau.
IV. Establishes a special fund.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
09Mar2005… 0430h
05/26/05 1515s
15Jun2005… 1918eba
05-0813
01/04
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Five
AN ACT relative to the natural heritage inventory program.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
236:1 Natural Heritage Inventory Program; “Inventory” Changed to “Bureau.” Amend RSA 217-A:3, XIII to read as follows:
XIII. “Natural Areas Council” means an association of representatives from state agencies and private conservation groups who meet every other month, or as often as necessary, to exchange information and discuss protection priorities for natural areas in New Hampshire. The [coordinator] administrator of the natural heritage [inventory program] bureau shall be a member and act as chairperson. Member organizations shall include:
[(a) The division of forests and lands.]
[(b)] (a) The division of parks and recreation.
[(c)] (b) The fish and game department.
[(d)] (c) The office of energy and planning.
[(e)] (d) The department of agriculture, markets, and food.
[(f)] (e) The water resources council.
[(g)] (f) The University of New Hampshire department of [botany and] plant [pathology] biology.
[(h)] (g) The Audubon Society of New Hampshire.
[(i)] (h) The New Hampshire Association of Conservation Commissions.
[(j)] (i) The Society for Protection of New Hampshire Forests.
[(k)] (j) The Nature Conservancy.
[(l)] (k) The New Hampshire Timberland Owners Association.
[(m)] (l) The U.S. Forest Service.
[(n)] (m) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[(o)] (n) The New Hampshire Association of [Wetland] Natural Resource Scientists.
236:2 Natural Heritage Inventory Program; “Inventory” Changed to “Bureau.” Amend RSA 217-A:3, XVI to read as follows:
XVI. “Natural heritage [inventory program] bureau” means [a program] the bureau, as established by 1986, 195, administered within the [office of the commissioner] division of forests and lands of the department of resources and economic development which collects and analyzes data on the status, location, and distribution of rare or declining native plant species and exemplary natural communities in the state, and develops and implements measures for the protection, conservation, enhancement and management of native New Hampshire plants.
236:3 Rulemaking. Amend RSA 217-A:8, II(g) to read as follows:
(g) [Fees to be charged and collected to cover the costs of services rendered under this act, which shall be deposited into the general fund as unrestricted revenue] Administration of the fund established in RSA 217-A:7-a.
236:4 Natural Heritage Inventory Program. Amend RSA 217-A:9, III to read as follows:
III. The natural heritage [inventory program] bureau, except as provided in RSA 217-A:9, I shall act as an information resource program to assist and advise state and local agencies, and private sector development projects upon request.
236:5 Reference Change. Amend RSA 215-A:43, I(b)(i) to read as follows:
(i) Exemplary natural communities as identified [in] by the natural heritage [inventory program] bureau as defined in RSA 217-A:3, XVI;
236:6 Reference Change. Amend the introductory paragraph of RSA 261:97-c, IV(a) to read as follows:
(a) To support the New Hampshire natural heritage [inventory program] bureau established in RSA 217-A, within the division of forests and lands. Funds may be used for:
236:7 New Section; Natural Heritage Bureau Fund Established. Amend RSA 217-A by inserting after section 7 the following new section:
217-A:7-a Natural Heritage Bureau Fund Established.
I. The commissioner shall charge a fee of $25 for requests for environmental reviews and a fee not to exceed $25 to offset the costs of providing publications and/or reports to the public. The fees charged under this paragraph shall be deposited in the fund established in paragraph II.
II. There is hereby established in the office of the state treasurer a fund to be known as the natural heritage bureau fund. Moneys collected under paragraph I shall be deposited in this fund. The fund shall be nonlapsing and continually appropriated to the commissioner for the purposes of providing environmental reviews and for the costs of providing publications and/or reports to the public.
236:8 New Subparagraph; Natural Heritage Bureau Fund. Amend RSA 6:12, I(b) by inserting after subparagraph (234) the following new subparagraph:
(235) Moneys deposited in the natural heritage bureau fund established in RSA 217-A:7-a.
236:9 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
(Approved: July 11, 2005)
(Effective Date: September 9, 2005)