§141-10 Agricultural development and food security special fund; establishment. (a) There is established within the state treasury the agricultural development and food security special fund.
(b) The following moneys shall be deposited into the special fund:
(1) The portion of the environmental response, energy, and food security tax specified under section 243-3.5;
(2) Any appropriation by the legislature into the special fund;
(3) Any grant or donation made to the special fund; and
(4) Any interest earned on the balance of the special fund.
(c) Subject to legislative appropriation, moneys in the special fund may be expended for the following purposes:
(1) The awarding of grants to farmers for agricultural production or processing activity;
(2) The acquisition of real property for agricultural production or processing activity;
(3) The improvement of real property, dams, reservoirs, irrigation systems, and transportation networks necessary to promote agricultural production or processing activity, including investigative studies to identify and assess necessary improvements to dams, reservoirs, irrigation systems, and transportation networks;
(4) The purchase of equipment necessary for agricultural production or processing activity;
(5) The conduct of research on and testing of agricultural products and markets;
(6) The funding of agricultural inspector positions within the department of agriculture;
(7) The promotion and marketing of agricultural products grown or raised in the State;
(8) Water quality testing and improvement; and
(9) Any other activity intended to increase agricultural production or processing that may lead to reduced importation of food, fodder, or feed from outside the State.
(d) The department of agriculture shall submit a report to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of each regular session on the status and progress of existing programs and activities and the status of new programs and activities funded under the agricultural development and food security special fund. The report shall also include:
(1) The spending plan of the agricultural development and food security special fund;
(2) All expenditures of agricultural development and food security special fund moneys;
(3) The targeted markets of the expenditures, including the reason for selecting those markets;
(4) The persons to be served using the expenditures; and
(5) The specific objectives of the expenditures, including measurable outcomes. [L 2010, c 73, §§7, 14; am L 2011, c 155, §1]
Note
The source note to this section is amended to read as follows: "L 2010, c 73, §§7, 14; am L 2011, c 155, §1; am L 2014, c 107, §3(2); am L 2015, c 185, §4".