Operational Severance Tax Transfer To Agriculture Value-added

If there is money in the severance tax operational fund (operational fund) after funding core departmental programs and a reserve requirement, then the state treasurer makes transfers to the natural resources and energy grant programs (grant programs). The agriculture value-added cash fund (cash fund), which was used to promote agricultural energy-related projects, was one of these grant programs in prior fiscal years. The bill recreates the agriculture value-added cash fund as a grant program by requiring the state treasurer to transfer $500,000, or so much as may be available, for the next 9 state fiscal years, from the operational fund to the cash fund to be used to promote agricultural energy-related projects. The transferred money in the cash fund is continuously appropriated to the department of agriculture for allocation to the Colorado agricultural value-added development board for this purpose only. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)