HB286 Alabama 2010 Session

Under existing law, certain federal lands were given to the state at various times for school purposes, so called "sixteenth section" lands

Also, under existing law, the state has the duty of preserving the principal and applying the income arising from the land for educational purposes, and the responsibility for the management of such sixteenth section lands is vested in the Commissioner of Conservation and Natural Resources

This bill would provide for the annual appropriation of federal offshore royalty revenues received by the state to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for use in indemnifying counties for lost sixteenth section lands pursuant to department inventory calculations

This bill would require the department to annually distribute federal royalty revenues to indemnify counties for lost sixteenth section lands when federal funds are available and would provide an anticipated distribution of funds to each county based upon a specific methodology

This bill would require the department, in consultation with the State Department of Education and the Department of Examiners of Public Accounts, to create and perpetually maintain an accurate and definitive inventory of all existing sixteenth section lands in the state, each local board of education associated with the land, and the amount of any annual revenue distributed pursuant to this act

This bill would also require the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to compile and submit an annual report on the inventory to the Governor, the State Superintendent of Education, and the Legislature

Relating to sixteenth section, indemnity, in lieu, and school lands; to provide definitions; to express legislative intent; to provide for the annual appropriation of federal offshore royalty revenues received by the state to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources; to require the department to annually distribute federal royalty revenues to indemnify counties for lost sixteenth section, indemnity, in lieu, and school lands; to provide an anticipated distribution based upon a specific methodology; to require the department, in consultation with the State Department of Education and the Department of Examiners of Public Accounts, to compile a comprehensive inventory of sixteenth section, indemnity, in lieu, and school lands in the state and the local boards of education associated with such land; and to require the department to compile and submit an annual report on the inventory to the Governor, the State Superintendent of Education, and the Legislature.