A. The "outdoor equity grant program" is created in the department to be administered by the New Mexico outdoor recreation division of the department.
B. Each fiscal year, competitive grants shall be awarded to applicants for the sole purpose of funding outdoor recreation programs, in whole or in part, for youth up to the age of eighteen.
C. Political subdivisions of the state, Indian nations, tribes and pueblos and nonprofit organizations may apply for outdoor equity grants.
D. Annually, the New Mexico outdoor recreation division shall establish a minimum and maximum number of grants available based on the funding appropriated to the outdoor equity grant program fund for that fiscal year.
E. The New Mexico outdoor recreation division shall award grants to applicants through a competitive process and based upon the following minimum criteria:
(1) at least forty percent of the population served by the applicant are low-income youth up to the age of eighteen;
(2) the applicant has a well-developed, written plan to engage low-income youth in outdoor recreation activities; and
(3) the applicant has an educational plan to educate youth about climate and the environment as part of its outdoor recreation program.
F. The New Mexico outdoor recreation division shall establish grant reporting requirements that meet the general purpose of this section.
History: Laws 2019, ch. 117, § 7; § 9-5B-10.1 recompiled and amended as § 9-15-14.4 by Laws 2020, ch. 65, § 4.
ANNOTATIONSRecompilations. — Laws 2020, ch. 65, § 4 recompiled and amended former 9-5B-10.1 NMSA 1978 as 9-15-14.4 NMSA 1978, effective May 20, 2020.
The 2020 amendment, effective May 20, 2020, required the New Mexico outdoor recreation division to administer the outdoor equity grant program, authorized political subdivisions of the state, Indian nations, tribes and pueblos to apply for outdoor equity grants, and removed certain definitions as used in this section; in Subsection A, after "administered by the", deleted "commission" and added "New Mexico outdoor recreation division of the department"; added a new Subsection C and redesignated former Subsections C through E as Subsections D through F, respectively; in Subsection D, after "Annually, the", deleted "commission" and added "New Mexico outdoor recreation division"; in Subsections E and F, deleted "commission" and added "New Mexico outdoor recreation division"; and deleted former Subsection F, which defined "applicant" and "outdoor recreation".