department of
agriculture; sunset continuation
Now: firearms safety;
ranges; funding
SB 1250 establishes an additional source of funding for the Firearms Safety and Ranges Fund. Repeals the Shooting Range Project Advisory Board and eliminates the current grant program.
Laws 1999, Chapter 322 created the Shooting Range Relocation and Assistance Fund to acquire state trust lands for the voluntary location or relocation of government-owned shooting ranges and to assist in noise abatement, range realignment and acquisition of range buffer areas. Funding was established through an annual appropriation of $50,000 from transaction privilege tax collections.
The Fund was renamed the Firearms Safety and Ranges Fund by Laws 2000, Chapter 167 and the uses were revised. Laws 2000, Chapter 167 established the Shooting Range Project Advisory Board to administer a grant program to distribute monies in the Fund. The Advisory Board consists of two members appointed by the President of the Senate, two members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and one employee of the Game and Fish Department appointed by the Commission.
The Firearms Safety and Ranges Fund has not been appropriated the $50,000 in retail sales tax collections and no grants have been awarded.
· Stipulates that the Commission may deposit the proceeds from sale or lease of real property into the Fund. In order to qualify as a source of funding, the property must be owned by the Commission and have been acquired for or used as a public shooting range.
· Eliminates the Shooting Range Project Advisory Board and the current grant program that outlines the process for distribution of monies in the Fund.
· Adds new shooting range sites and maintenance of shooting ranges to the approved uses of monies in the Fund.
· Repeals a dual enactment of the firearms safety and ranges fund statute (A.R.S. 17-273) that resulted from unblendable amendments passed during the 2000 regular session.
· Makes technical and conforming changes.
SB 1250 passed the
Natural Resources & Agriculture Committee unamended.
SB 1250 was amended
in the Committee of the Whole as follows:
· Stipulates that monies from the Fund may only be spent on shooting ranges open to the public and operated by the government or non-profit entities.
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45th Legislature
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First Regular Session 2 April
16, 2001
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