Relating to and making appropriations involving state government entities associated with agriculture, natural resources, and environmental protection, making related statutory changes, and including effective date provisions

GENERAL. This bill relates to agriculture and natural resources by making appropriations for FY 2024-2025 to support related entities, including the department of agriculture and land stewardship (DALS), the department of natural resources (DNR), Iowa state university (ISU), and the university of Iowa (UI). The bill primarily appropriates moneys to DALS and DNR. The appropriations are made to support those departments for administration, regulation, and support of programs. The bill requires the departments to submit quarterly reports to the general assembly and department of management regarding the expenditure of appropriated moneys. The bill also provides moneys to support specific programs or projects administered by those departments. The bill primarily appropriates moneys from the state general fund (GF) and the environment first fund (EFF) to support DALS and DNR, but also UI and ISU, and to support a number of designated activities, projects, and programs administered by those agencies. General appropriations are made from other major sources, including the state fish and game protection fund (SFGPF) and the groundwater protection fund (GPF), both administered by DNR. Finally, appropriations are made from and to a number of dedicated sources, including the resources enhancement and protection (REAP) fund administered by DNR, and the renewable fuel infrastructure fund (RFIF) and the water quality initiative fund (WQIF) administered by DALS. DALS —— GF APPROPRIATIONS. The bill appropriates moneys to DALS from the GF in order to support its administrative divisions, including consumer protection and industry services, soil conservation, and food safety and animal health. Moneys are transferred to ISU to support its midwest grape and wine industry institute. DALS —— DESIGNATED APPROPRIATIONS FROM MISCELLANEOUS FUNDS. The bill appropriates moneys from several sources to support a number of designated purposes, including moneys derived from unclaimed winnings from horse and dog races, for administration and enforcement of racing regulations; and moneys credited to the RFIF, for purposes of regulating motor fuel. DALS —— SPECIAL GF APPROPRIATIONS. The bill makes special appropriations from the GF to DALS in order to support specific purposes including milk inspection, the local food and farm program, an agricultural education organization, foreign animal disease preparedness, assistance to farmers with disabilities, loess hills protections, southern Iowa development and conservation, grain regulation, the value-added agriculture grant program, the dairy innovation fund and program, and the choose Iowa promotional program. DALS —— SPECIAL GF APPROPRIATION TO SUPPORT CHOOSE IOWA FOOD PURCHASING PILOT PROJECT. The bill appropriates moneys from the GF to support a choose Iowa food purchasing pilot project to assist schools, school districts, Iowa food banks, and Iowa emergency feeding organizations in obtaining food from farm sources. DNR —— GF AND OTHER MAJOR FUNDS APPROPRIATIONS. The bill makes appropriations from a number of funds to DNR in order to support its administrative divisions involving natural resources and environmental protection from the GF, the SFGPF, and the GPF. The bill makes a special appropriation from the GF to DNR for purposes of increasing the accessibility to state parks and recreation areas by persons with disabilities. DNR —— DESIGNATED APPROPRIATIONS FROM MISCELLANEOUS FUNDS. The bill appropriates moneys to DNR from a number of sources to support designated purposes, including moneys deposited in the special snowmobile fund to provide for administering and enforcing the state snowmobile programs; and moneys deposited in the unassigned revenue fund for purposes of paying for administration of DNR’s underground storage tanks section. DNR —— SPECIAL GF APPROPRIATIONS. The bill makes special appropriations from the GF to DNR in order to support specific purposes including floodplain management, dam safety and forestry health management programs, and state parks. ISU —— SPECIAL GF APPROPRIATIONS. The bill appropriates moneys from the GF to ISU to support the operation of its veterinary diagnostic laboratory and livestock disease research. The bill makes special appropriations from the GF to ISU to support the move of the veterinary diagnostic laboratory and to support the management of private forests. ISU —— DESIGNATED APPROPRIATIONS FROM MISCELLANEOUS FUNDS. The bill appropriates moneys from the Iowa nutrient reduction fund to ISU for the veterinary diagnostic laboratory. UI —— SPECIAL GF APPROPRIATIONS. The bill appropriates moneys from the GF to UI to support the operations of Iowa’s center for agricultural safety and health, which is part of UI’s college of public health. DALS, DNR, AND UI —— EFF —— GENERAL APPROPRIATIONS. The bill appropriates moneys from the EFF to support a number of programs administered by DALS, DNR, and UI. For DALS, the moneys are appropriated to support programs involving soil conservation, watershed protection and nutrient management, and the loess hills development and conservation fund. For DNR, moneys are appropriated to support programs involving state parks, geographic information systems, water quality monitoring, public water supplies, regulation of animal feeding operations, air quality, and floodplain management and dam safety. For UI, moneys are appropriated to support the Iowa geological survey. The bill includes provisions that delay the reversion of these moneys. EFF —— SPECIAL APPROPRIATIONS FOR WQIF. The bill appropriates moneys from the EFF to the WQIF subject to certain conditions. REAP FUND —— EFF APPROPRIATION IN LIEU OF GF APPROPRIATION. The bill appropriates moneys from the EFF to the REAP fund instead of the $20 million otherwise required to be appropriated to the REAP fund from the GF. Notwithstanding the standing allocation from the REAP fund to its open spaces account, DNR may use moneys in the account for state park maintenance, development, operations, and facility refurbishment. GF —— BUTCHERY —— SPECIAL CONTINGENT APPROPRIATION. The bill appropriates moneys to DALS to support the butchery innovation and revitalization fund and program contingent on the enactment of legislation transferring the fund and program from the economic development authority to DALS. STATUTORY CHANGES —— DALS ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES. The bill amends provisions creating funds for the choose Iowa promotional program, the dairy innovation fund, and the value-added agricultural grant program, by providing that not more than percent of moneys in those funds may be used for purposes of administration.