Brief⁽¹⁾

H.B. 2876 would enact the Kansas Local Government Outdoor Recreation Grant Program Act. The Secretary of Wildlife and Parks would be required to develop and administer a grant program to award grants to Kansas local governments for capital improvements for outdoor recreation facilities. The grants would be awarded annually on a competitive basis. The Secretary would establish by rules and regulations guidelines and criteria for awarding the grants. Local governments would be required to match the grants. The Secretary would be required to designate a portion of all money appropriated for local renovations, repairs, and improvements consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Background

At its hearing this bill was supported by the Secretary of Wildlife and Parks and by many local officials and outdoor enthusiasts.

The Kansas Local Government Outdoor Recreation Grant Program Act would establish the framework of a grant program but an appropriation would be necessary to fund the program. The program, according to the conferees, is intended to replace the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund grants which declined substantially since 1989 and have been unfunded since 1995. The Secretary of Wildlife and Parks stated his intention to model the selection process for the new grants closely on the process used under the Land and Water Conservation Fund program.

1. *Supplemental notes are prepared by the Legislative Research Department and do not express legislative intent. The supplemental note and fiscal note for this bill may be accessed on the Internet at http://www.ink.org/public/legislative/fulltext-bill.html.