(1) There is hereby created in the department of natural resources the Colorado avalanche information center to promote safety by reducing the impact of avalanches on recreation, industry, and transportation in the state through a program of avalanche forecasting and education.
(2) (a) The Colorado avalanche information center is authorized to enter into agreements to provide training and materials to the general public, industries, and units of local government and to recover the direct costs of providing the training and materials. The Colorado avalanche information center is also authorized to establish and collect fees for training programs and materials that approximate the direct costs of providing the training and materials.
The Colorado avalanche information center is authorized to contract with agencies ofstate government for the provision of services and may establish and collect fees to recover the direct costs of those services.
(I) The department of natural resources shall transmit all moneys collected pursuantto this section to the state treasurer, who shall credit the same to the Colorado avalanche information center fund, which fund is hereby created and referred to in this section as the "fund". The moneys in the fund are subject to annual appropriation by the general assembly to the department of natural resources for the direct and indirect costs associated with the Colorado avalanche information center.
(II) The state treasurer may invest any moneys in the fund not expended for the purpose of this section as provided by law. The state treasurer shall credit all interest and income derived from the investment and deposit of moneys in the fund to the fund. Any unexpended and unencumbered moneys remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year remain in the fund and shall not be credited or transferred to the general fund or another fund.
Source: L. 2013: Entire section added, (HB 13-1057), ch. 1, p. 2, § 6, effective January 31.