H.B. No. 0285

Emergency fire suppression assessments.

Sponsored By: Representative(s) Cohee

AN ACT relating to the emergency fire suppression account; increasing the assessment for participating counties as specified; and providing for an effective date.

1/31/2003 Bill Number Assigned

2/3/2003 H Received for Introduction

2/3/2003 H Introduced and Referred to H05

2/6/2003 H05 Recommended Amend and Do Pass

ROLL CALL

Ayes: Representative(s) Brechtel, Diercks, Hageman, Harvey, Morgan, Powers, Prosser, Semlek and Slater

Ayes 9 Nays 0 Excused 0 Absent 0 Conflicts 0

2/6/2003 H Placed on General File

2/10/2003 H Amendments Considered

HB0285HS001/A ADOPTED

Page 1-line 3 After ";" insert "specifying and clarifying the land to be assessed;".

Page 1-line 7 After "36-1-404(b)" insert "(i) and".

Page 1-after line 15 Insert:

"(i) Four-tenths of a cent ($.004) per acre for each acre of nonfederal forested or brush covered private land in the county as determined by reference to the current equality state almanac published by the department of administration and information; plus". HAGEMAN, CHAIRMAN

2/10/2003 H Passed CoW

2/11/2003 H Passed 2nd Reading

2/12/2003 H Passed 3rd Reading

ROLL CALL

Ayes: Representative(s) Alden, Anderson, R., Bagby, Baker, Berger, Boswell, Brechtel, Buchanan, Bucholz, Childers, Cohee, Cooper, Diercks, Edwards, Esquibel, Gentile, Gilmore, Hageman, Harshman, Harvey, Hinckley, Iekel, Illoway, Jansen, Johnson, L., Johnson, W., Jones, Jorgensen, Landon, Latta, Law, Lockhart, Luthi, Martin, McMurtrey, McOmie, Meuli, Meyer, Miller, D., Morgan, Nicholas, Olsen, Osborn, Parady, Petersen, Philp, Powers, Prosser, Reese, Robinson, Ross, Semlek, Simpson, Slater, Thompson, Tipton, Warren, Wasserburger and Wostenberg.

Excused: Representative(s) Walsh

Ayes 59 Nays 0 Excused 1 Absent 0 Conflicts 0

2/13/2003 S Received for Introduction

2/13/2003 S Introduced and Referred to S05

2/19/2003 S05 Recommended Do Pass

ROLL CALL

Ayes: Senator(s) Barton, Cathcart, Northrup and Vasey

Excused: Senator(s) Geis

Ayes 4 Nays 0 Excused 1 Absent 0 Conflicts 0

2/19/2003 S Placed on General File

2/25/2003 S Amendments Considered

HB0285SW001/FE (TO ENGROSSED COPY) FAILED

Page 1-line 2 Delete "participating".

Page 1-line 3 After "specified;" insert "requiring all counties to participate;".

Page 1-line 8 After "W.S." insert "18-3-509 by creating a new subsection (c), 36-1-402(a) and (c), 36-1-403(a)(ii) and (iii) and 36-1-404(a) through (d) and (f) are amended to" delete balance of line.

Page 1-after line 9 Insert and renumber:

"18-3-509.  Fire protection.

(c) The board of county commissioners shall contract to participate in the emergency fire suppression account program pursuant to W.S. 36-1-401 through 36-1-404.

36-1-402.  Emergency fire suppression account; creation; investment of funds; authorized expenditures.

(a)  There is created the emergency fire suppression account within the trust and agency fund. The account shall include all legislative appropriations, all assessments paid into the account by participating all of the counties and all income from investments of monies in the account. Appropriations to the account shall not lapse at the end of any fiscal period.

(c)  Upon written approval of the state forester, expenditures shall be made out of the account to participating the counties and the division for the actual costs of suppressing emergency fires.

36-1-403.  Powers and duties of state forester.

(a)  The state forester shall:

(ii)  Enter into contracts on behalf of the division with counties desiring to participate in the account each county;

(iii)  Establish and collect assessments from participating counties each county in accordance with this article;".

Page 1-line 12 Delete "withdrawal from participation;".

Page 1-after line 13 Insert and renumber:

"(a)  Counties desiring to participate in the emergency fire suppression account shall enter into a written contract with the state forester and shall pay the assessments provided for in this section.".

Page 1-line 16 Strike "participating".

Page 2-after line 9 Insert and renumber:

"(c)  Participation in The fund shall be operated on a fiscal year basis and annual assessments shall be paid on or before July 15 of each year. in which the county elects to participate in the account.

(d)  In the event the balance in the account exceeds three million dollars ($3,000,000.00) on July 1 in any year, no assessment shall be charged to participating the counties for that fiscal year or for any subsequent year until the balance in the account is reduced to an amount less than two million four hundred thousand dollars ($2,400,000.00) in which event assessments shall again be charged to participating the counties beginning in the following fiscal year.

(f)  Any county electing to withdraw from participation in the account or failing to pay the annual assessment when due shall forfeit all of its rights to the account and any assessments previously paid by that county shall remain in the account.

Section 2. W.S. 18-3-509(a)(iv), 36-1-401(a)(iv) and 36-1-404(e) are repealed.".

Page 2-line 11 Delete "2" insert "3". SCHIFFER

2/25/2003 S Passed CoW

2/26/2003 S Passed 2nd Reading

2/27/2003 S Passed 3rd Reading

ROLL CALL

Ayes: Senator(s) Anderson, J., Barrasso, Barton, Boggs, Burns, Caller, Case, Cathcart, Coe, Decaria, Devin, Erb, Geis, Goodenough, Hanes, Hawks, Hines, Job, Kunz, Larson, Massie, Meier, Mockler, Northrup, Peck, Roberts, Schiffer, Scott, Sessions and Vasey.

Ayes 30 Nays 0 Excused 0 Absent 0 Conflicts 0

2/27/2003 Assigned Number HEA 0063

2/27/2003 H Speaker Signed HEA No. 0063

2/28/2003 S President Signed HEA No. 0063

3/3/2003 Governor Signed HEA No. 0063

Chapter No. 0109 Session Laws of Wyoming 2003.