Bill No.: SF0117                  Drafter:  DKG

LSO No.:  11LSO-0353              Effective Date:  2/18/2011

                                  Section 3:  7/1/2011

Enrolled Act No.:  SEA0031

Chapter No.:       53

Prime Sponsor:     Senator Bebout

Catch Title:       Wyoming reclamation and restoration center.

Subject:  Establishes an account to be used to fund the Wyoming reclamation and restoration center and deposits substitute AML funds into the account.

Summary/Major Elements:

· Previous budget bill provisions authorized use of abandoned mine land funds (AML funds) for various purposes, including an endowment for a reclamation ecology project at the University.  Those provisions also authorized a substitution of University block grant funds for the AML funds if the AML funds could not be used for the specified purposes.

· The University of Wyoming and the Department of Environmental Quality did substitute University block grant funds for AML funds for this endowment.  This act ratifies those actions.  It also:

· Creates a challenge account to fund the reclamation and restoration center.

· Provides that UW will match each qualifying contribution of $100,000 or more to the center to the extent funds are available in the challenge account.

· Deposits $1,500,000.00 in substituted block grant funds described above in the reclamation and restoration challenge account.

· Repeals the previous budget bill provisions with the enactment of statutory provisions.

Comments:

• Requires an annual report from the university to the Governor, Joint Appropriations Committee and the Joint Education Committee from the university foundation regarding the matching program established under this act for the preceding fiscal year.