The Clean Water, Land & Legacy Amendment created four new funds for conservation and the arts: the Outdoor Heritage Fund, the Clean Water Fund, the Parks and Trails Fund and the Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund. The Lessard Sams Outdoor Heritage Council (LSOHC) makes recommendations for the allocation of Outdoor Heritage Funds, and the Clean Water Council makes recommendations for the use of Clean Water funds. The Legislature approves these recommendations and sets the allocation of parks and trails and arts funding.
S.F. 1 largely approved the Council recommendations for Outdoor Heritage Funds, but omitted one project recommended by the Council. This project had been proposed by the White Earth Nation for protection of forestland critical to the protection of the Wild Rice River.
What Would Happen?
The Legacy bill is approved and habitat, clean water, parks and arts projects can move forward. However, the White Earth Project is not approved this year.
The Legacy bill is not approved and Legacy funds are not allocated.
How The House Voted
The Legacy bill is approved and habitat, clean water, parks and arts projects can move forward. However, the White Earth Project is not approved this year.