03/22/2011 01:30 PM House FINANCE

HOUSE BILL NO. 97                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
     "An  Act  extending  a provision  relating  to  noxious                                                                    
     weeds,   invasive   plants,   and   agricultural   pest                                                                    
     management  and education;  providing for  an effective                                                                    
     date by  repealing the  effective date  of sec.  2, ch.                                                                    
     102, SLA 2008; and providing for an effective date."                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
4:18:06 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
JEANNE   OSTNES,   STAFF,  REPRESENTATIVE   CRAIG   JOHNSON,                                                                    
SPONSOR,  explained  that  the legislation  would  delete  a                                                                    
sunset for a position in  the Division of Agriculture in the                                                                    
Department  of  Natural  Resources. The  position  had  been                                                                    
created  two years  prior with  a $80,000  fiscal note  that                                                                    
provided the employee  salary but no travel  funds, desk, or                                                                    
computer. She  pointed to a  packet with an overview  of the                                                                    
employee's accomplishments. She noted  that the position had                                                                    
been widely  used throughout the  state by many of  the Soil                                                                    
and   Water   Conservation   Districts,  the   public,   the                                                                    
Cooperative Extension  Service, as  well as  other agencies.                                                                    
She  highlighted  the  third page  of  the  overview,  which                                                                    
detailed  that  the  employee had  brought  over  twice  his                                                                    
salary to the  state through writing grants,  and would have                                                                    
brought  in another  $80,000 had  there been  matching funds                                                                    
available.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Vice-chair Fairclough OPENED and CLOSED public testimony.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Representative  Wilson   MOVED  to  report  HB   97  out  of                                                                    
Committee   with   individual    recommendations   and   the                                                                    
accompanying fiscal  note. There being NO  OBJECTION, it was                                                                    
so ordered.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
HB 97 was REPORTED out of Committee with a "do pass"                                                                            
recommendation and with attached previously published                                                                           
fiscal note: FN 1 (DNR).