Source: http://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=SB61%20SUB1.htm&yr=2005&sesstype=RS&i=61
Timestamp: 2018-01-16 23:50:26
Document Index: 255825931

Matched Legal Cases: ['§4', '§19', '§19', '§4', '§19', '§19', '§4']

SB61 SUB1
A BILL to amend and reenact §4-11A-3 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended; to amend and reenact §19-1-4 of said code; and to amend said code by adding thereto a new section, designated §19-1-4e, all relating to the Tobacco Settlement Fund; duties of the Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture; duty to assist farmers to make the transition from growing tobacco to growing other crops or pursuing other agricultural-related businesses; creating the "Transition Program for Tobacco Farmers' Fund"; and creating the "Transition Program for Tobacco Farmers".
That §4-11A-3 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended and reenacted; that §19-1-4 of said code be amended and reenacted; and that said code be amended by adding thereto a new section, designated §19-1-4 e, all to read as follows:
§4-11A-3. Receipt of settlement funds and required deposit in the tobacco settlement fund.
(a) There is hereby created in the State Treasury a special revenue account, designated the "Tobacco Settlement Fund," which shall be an interest bearing account and may be invested in the manner permitted by the provisions of article six, chapter twelve of this code, with the interest income a proper credit to the fund. Unless contrary to federal law, fifty percent of all revenues received pursuant to the master settlement agreement shall be deposited in this fund. These funds shall be available only upon appropriation by the Legislature as part of the State Budget: Provided, That for the fiscal year two thousand, the first five million dollars received into the fund shall be transferred to the public employees insurance reserve fund created in article two, chapter five-a of this code.
(4) Funding for any State owned or operated health facilities; and
(5) Five million dollars for the Transition Program for Tobacco Farmers provided for in section four-e, article one, chapter nineteen of this code.
(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of section two, article two, chapter twelve of this code, moneys within the tobacco settlement trust fund may not be redesignated for any purpose other than those set forth in this section.
(h) Assist farmers to make the transition from growing tobacco to growing other crops or pursuing other agricultural-related businesses through the Transition Program for Farmers provided for in section four-e, article one, chapter nineteen of this code;
(h) (i) Submit a biennial report to the Governor and Legislature containing such information as to the operations of the department as may be helpful to the agricultural interests of the state, together with an itemized statement of all receipts and disbursements during the biennial period covered thereby and giving the name of every person employed during such period, the time employed and the amount paid each employee;
(a) The Commissioner shall propose rules for legislative approval in accordance with the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code, designed to establish and implement the transition program for tobacco farmers, no later than the first day of September, two thousand five. The program's primary purpose is to assist tobacco farmers in the transition from growing tobacco to growing other crops or pursuing other agricultural-related businesses. In addition to the authority granted in section four-a of this article, the Commissioner is hereby authorized to accept grants and incur indebtedness to fund the program.
(b) There is hereby created in the State Treasury a special revenue account, designated the "Transition Program for Tobacco Farmers' Fund." No later than the first day of September, two thousand five, five million dollars shall be transferred from the Tobacco Settlement Fund provided under section three, article eleven-a, chapter four of this code to the Transition Program for Tobacco Farmers' Fund which shall be allocated for use in the program's initial three year phase. The Transition Program for Tobacco Farmers' Fund may also receive grants and loans or other sources of funding as provided under section four-a of this article, at the Commissioner's discretion, and the Commissioner shall administer the fund in accordance with the purposes of the Transition Program for Tobacco Farmers' Fund.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to provide a system to assist farmers to make the transition from growing tobacco to growing other crops or pursuing other agricultural endeavors. The bill includes provisions which create the "Transition Program for Tobacco Farmers" as well as the "Transition Program for Tobacco Farmers' Fund." The bill also provides for use of the Tobacco Settlement Fund for the program.