House Bill 158

     "9-15-60. [NEW MATERIAL] SHORT TITLE.--Sections 9-15-60 through 9-15-66 may be referred to as the "Military Base Planning and Impact Act"."

     "9-15-61. [NEW MATERIAL] DEFINITIONS.--As used in the Military Base Planning and Impact Act:

          A. "commission" means the military base planning commission;

          B. "defense community" means a political subdivision, including a municipality, county or special district, that encompasses a portion of or is within a service area of a United States military base or defense facility;

          C. "defense worker" means:

                (1) an employee of the United States department of defense, including armed forces personnel and civilian workers;

                (2) an employee of a government agency or private business or organization providing a United States department-of-defense-related function who is employed at a military facility;

                (3) an employee of a business that directly provides services or products to the United States department of defense and whose job is directly dependent on defense expenditures; or

                (4) an employee of the United States department of energy or an employee or a contractor for the United States department of energy working at a defense or United States department of energy facility in support of a department-of-defense-related project;

          D. "defense worker job" means a permanent position authorized by the United States department of defense or a position held or occupied by one or more defense workers for more than twelve months;

          E. "department" means the economic development department;

          F. "fund" means the military base impact fund;

          G. "military facility" includes military bases and research and training facilities owned or operated or under contract by the United States department of defense; and

          H. "military office" means the office of military base planning and support."

     "9-15-65. [NEW MATERIAL] MILITARY BASE IMPACT FUND CREATED--GRANTS--REQUIREMENTS AND LIMITATIONS.--

          A. The "military base impact fund" is created as a nonreverting fund in the state treasury. The fund consists of appropriations, gifts, grants and donations. The department shall administer the fund, and money in the fund is appropriated to the military office to provide assistance for infrastructure projects to defense communities. Disbursements from the fund shall be made by warrant of the secretary of finance and administration pursuant to vouchers signed by the director of the military office.

          B. The military office shall implement a grant program for infrastructure projects to:

                (1) accommodate or leverage, for the benefit of a defense community, an anticipated expansion of a military facility or employment of defense workers at a military facility or the retention of a military facility or employment of defense workers at a military facility;

                (2) increase the potential to retain a military facility anticipated to be closed or a military mission that is anticipated to be relocated in a realignment process initiated by the federal government;

                (3) facilitate the recruitment of a new military mission or other defense worker employer at a military facility to replace a mission or an employer that is being or is anticipated to be closed, reduced or relocated; or

                (4) stimulate the development or recruitment of private or public sector employers to replace an actual or anticipated reduction in defense worker jobs due to a closure, reduction or relocation of a military base or defense worker employer.

          C. A recipient of a grant from the fund shall be either a defense community or a regional planning organization organized under the Regional Planning Act that has a defense community within its planning region.

          D. A grant from the fund may be made for project construction, planning and design or purchase of interests in land for new facilities or rehabilitation or renovation of existing facilities; provided that a grant shall be no greater than the lesser of ninety percent of the total cost of the project or ninety percent of a matching requirement from a federal or other nonstate funding source.

          E. An applicant for a grant from the fund shall provide proof satisfactory to the military office that it can and will meet its cost-share requirements pursuant to this section."

     "9-15-66. [NEW MATERIAL] REPORTS.--On or before November 30, 2025, and on or before November 30 in each subsequent year, the military office shall provide a report to the governor and to the interim legislative committee tasked with examining economic development issues on the status of the fund, the projects that have received grants and rates of success of the grantees in achieving the goals for which the grants were made."