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SR 4 - Land, Water, Wildlife, Recreation Heritage Fund - create (CA)

Land, Clay (16th)	Egan, Michael J (40th)	Johnson, Eric B (1st)

Status Summary	SC:	Rules	HC:		FR:	01/12/99	LA:	03/06/00	S - Read 2nd Time

First Reader Summary

A resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution so as to require the General Assembly to provide by law for the creation of a Land, Water, Wildlife, and Recreation Heritage Fund from which funds shall be disbursed for the purposes of local government recreation grants and acquiring, conserving, managing, or preserving Georgia's natural and historic areas, water resources, and wildlife habitats; to provide for payments into the heritage fund; to provide for the submission of this amendment for ratification or rejection.

SR 4   99                                          LC 18 9150 
 
      SENATE RESOLUTION 4 
 
      By:  Senators Land of the 16th, Egan of the 40th, 
 
Johnson of the 1st and others 
 
                             A RESOLUTION 
 
  1- 1  Proposing an amendment to the Constitution so as to require 
  1- 2  the General Assembly to provide by law for the creation of a 
  1- 3  Land, Water, Wildlife, and Recreation Heritage Fund from 
  1- 4  which funds shall be disbursed for the purposes of local 
  1- 5  government recreation grants and acquiring, conserving, 
  1- 6  managing, or preserving Georgia's natural and historic 
  1- 7  areas, water resources, and wildlife habitats; to provide 
  1- 8  for payments into the heritage fund; to provide for the 
  1- 9  applicability of certain provisions of the Constitution; to 
  1-10  provide for the submission of this amendment for 
  1-11  ratification or rejection; and for other purposes. 
 
  1-12       BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA: 
 
  1-13                           SECTION 1. 
 
  1-14  Article III, Section IX, Paragraph VI of the Constitution is 
  1-15  amended by adding at the end thereof a new subparagraph (k) 
  1-16  to read as follows: 
 
  1-17      "(k) The General Assembly is required to provide by law 
  1-18    for the creation of a Land, Water, Wildlife, and 
  1-19    Recreation Heritage Fund from which funds shall be 
  1-20    disbursed for the purposes of: (1) local government 
  1-21    recreation grants; and (2) acquiring, conserving, 
  1-22    managing, or preserving Georgia's natural and historic 
  1-23    areas, water resources, and wildlife habitats.  The 
  1-24    General Assembly shall provide by law that not less than 
  1-25    80 percent of the moneys derived from the annual levy of 
  1-26    state ad valorem taxes pursuant to Article VII, Section I, 
  1-27    Paragraph II shall be transferred annually to the heritage 
  1-28    fund.  The General Assembly may also provide by general 
  1-29    law for the dedication and deposit into the heritage fund 
  1-30    of revenues raised from other specific sources for the 
  1-31    purposes of the heritage fund.  The heritage fund shall 
  1-32    constitute a separate account in the state treasury. 
  1-33    Heritage fund proceeds shall be specifically identified by 
  1-34    the Governor in the annual budget as a separate category 
  1-35    entitled 'heritage fund proceeds'; and, in the General 
  1-36    Appropriations Act, the General Assembly shall appropriate 
 
 
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  2- 1    not more than 25 percent of the heritage fund proceeds for 
  2- 2    local government recreation grants and not more than 75 
  2- 3    percent of the heritage fund proceeds for the other 
  2- 4    purposes authorized in this subparagraph. Funding for 
  2- 5    recreation grants shall be appropriated to one or more 
  2- 6    executive branch agencies and shall be awarded by such 
  2- 7    agency or agencies through a competitive grant process 
  2- 8    which shall be equally open to all units of local 
  2- 9    government. The General Assembly may provide by law for 
  2-10    the administration of the heritage fund and may provide 
  2-11    for the sunset or termination of the heritage fund or any 
  2-12    or all of its revenue sources.  Moneys paid into the 
  2-13    heritage fund shall not be subject to the provisions of 
  2-14    Article III, Section IX, Paragraph IV(c), relative to 
  2-15    lapsing of funds, or of Article VII, Section III, 
  2-16    Paragraph II, relative to funds paid into the state 
  2-17    treasury, except that moneys appropriated from the 
  2-18    heritage fund and not committed shall lapse back to the 
  2-19    heritage fund." 
 
  2-20                           SECTION 2. 
 
  2-21  The above proposed amendment to the Constitution shall be 
  2-22  published and submitted as provided in Article X, Section I, 
  2-23  Paragraph II of the Constitution. 
 
  2-24  The ballot submitting the above proposed amendment shall 
  2-25  have written or printed thereon the following: 
 
  2-26    "( ) YES  Shall the Constitution be amended so as to 
  2-27              require the General Assembly to provide by law 
  2-28     (  ) NO  for the creation of a Land, Water, Wildlife, 
  2-29              and Recreation Heritage Fund, with moneys 
  2-30              derived from the annual levy of state ad 
  2-31              valorem taxes, from which funds shall be 
  2-32              disbursed for the purposes of local government 
  2-33              recreation grants and for acquiring, 
  2-34              conserving, managing, or preserving Georgia's 
  2-35              natural and historic areas, water resources, 
  2-36              and wildlife habitats?" 
 
  2-37  All persons desiring to vote in favor of ratifying the 
  2-38  proposed amendment shall vote "Yes."  All persons desiring 
  2-39  to vote against ratifying the proposed amendment shall vote 
  2-40  "No." 
 
  2-41  If such amendment shall be ratified as provided in such 
  2-42  Paragraph of the Constitution, it shall become a part of the 
 
 
 
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  3- 1  Constitution of this state and shall take effect as provided 
  3- 2  in Article X, Section I, Paragraph VI of the Constitution. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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