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Chapter 0043 - 572R - H Ver of HB2117
House Engrossed
natural resource
conservation board; fund
State of Arizona
House of Representatives
Fifty-seventh Legislature
Second Regular Session
2026
CHAPTER 43
HOUSE BILL 2117
AN
ACT
Amending sections 28-2413, 41-6011
and 41-6013, Arizona Revised Statutes; relating to THE state NATURAL
RESOURCE CONSERVATION BOARD.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Section 28-2413, Arizona Revised
Statutes, is amended to read:
START_STATUTE
28-2413.
Environmental special plates
A. The department shall issue environmental special
plates. The environmental special plates shall have the same basic
color and design as the environmental license plates issued on or before
December 31, 1992, except that the department may make minor alterations of
environmental special plates to make the plates more reflective and readable
during the daylight and nighttime hours.
B. Of the $25 fee required by section 28-2402
for original environmental special plates and for renewal of environmental
special plates, $8 is a special plate administration fee and $17 is an
environmental plate annual donation.
C. The department shall deposit, pursuant to
sections 35-146 and 35-147, all special plate administration fees
in the state highway fund established by section 28-6991 and shall
deposit the environmental plate annual donations in the environmental special
plate fund established by section 41-6013 for disbursement by the state
land department
natural resource conservation
board
for environmental education programs.
END_STATUTE
Sec. 2. Section 41-6011, Arizona Revised
Statutes, is amended to read:
START_STATUTE
41-6011.
State natural resource conservation board; membership; powers and
duties
A. The
state natural resource conservation board
is
established consisting of the following members who are residents of this
state:
1. Eight members who are from different geographic
natural resource areas as defined by
a statewide organization
that represents all natural resource conservation districts in this
the
state
natural
resource conservation BOARD
.
GEOGRAPHIC
NATURAL RESOURCE AREAS AS DEFINED BY THE BOARD SHALL BE CONTIGUOUS. THE BOARD
SHALL PRIORITIZE MAJOR LAND RESOURCES, TYPES OF CROPS GROWN and OTHER SHARED
LAND FEATURES WHEN DEFINING THE geographic natural resource AREAS.
Four
members shall be appointed by the governor, two members shall be appointed by
the president of the senate and two members shall be appointed by the speaker
of the house of representatives. The members appointed pursuant to
this paragraph shall meet the following criteria:
(a) At least six of the members must be elected
supervisors for a natural resource conservation district.
(b) Not more than two members may be appointed
supervisors from a soil and water conservation district.
(c) At least
one
member shall be a member of the executive board of a statewide organization
that represents all natural resource conservation districts in this state.
2. Three members who are appointed by the governor
from any of the following and who serve at the pleasure of the governor:
(a) The state land commissioner or state land
commissioner's designee.
(b) The director of the Arizona department of
agriculture or the director's designee.
(c) The state forester or the state forester's
designee.
(d) The director of the Arizona game and fish
department or the director's designee.
B. The board shall elect a chairperson from among
its members. The chairperson must be a member who represents a natural resource
conservation district or soil and water conservation district.
EACH MEMBER REPRESENTING A GEOGRAPHIC NATURAL RESOURCE AREA MAY HOLD
OFFICE UNTIL THE MEMBER'S SUCCESSOR IS APPOINTED.
C. The initial members of the board who are
appointed pursuant to subsection A, paragraph 1 of this section shall assign
themselves by lot to terms of one, two and three years in office. All
subsequent members serve three-year terms. The chairperson of the board
shall notify the governor's office of these terms.
D. If a member's term as a supervisor expires while
serving on the board, that member may not serve out the member's term as a
board member. A replacement shall be appointed from the same geographic
natural
resource area to fulfill the remainder of that member's
term.
E. Board members shall be reimbursed for expenses as
prescribed by title 38, chapter 4, article 2 while attending board meetings.
F. The board may appoint or contract for
an administrative officer, a secretary and such
other assistants as may be required, assign their duties, define their powers
and determine the amount of bond required of any assistant entrusted with
monies or property. The compensation of all
such
the
assistants shall be determined pursuant to section 38-611.
G. The board shall adopt
a seal, which shall be judicially noticed, and shall hold public hearings, keep
records of all proceedings and annual records of district operations, adopt
orders and rules and perform other acts as are necessary to carry out this
chapter.
H. The board shall:
1. Offer appropriate assistance to the supervisors
of districts in carrying out their powers and programs.
2. Keep the supervisors of each district informed of
the activities and experiences of other districts and of relevant information
from other states, and facilitate cooperation and interchange of advice,
experience and program opportunities between districts.
3. Coordinate the programs of the several districts
insofar as possible by advice and consultation.
4. Require the supervisors of each district to file
with the board annually any audits and the records of the operations of the
district for the preceding year in the form and detail as the board prescribes.
5. Secure the cooperation and assistance of the
United States, its agencies and agencies of this state, in the work of
districts as local units of state government with special expertise concerning
land, soil, water and natural resources management within the boundaries of the
district, as the board deems for the best interest of
the
this
state.
6. Disseminate information throughout
the
this
state concerning the activities and program of
districts.
7. Meet at least quarterly to receive updates from
the board's administrative officer regarding any relevant issue or matter
necessary to carry out this chapter, provide guidance to the administrative
officer and vote on any matters requiring a decision by the board.
8. Assist a district when the district is
cooperating or coordinating with a federal agency.
9. Assist districts with developing conservation
action or district-wide plans.
10. Adopt administrative rules that the board deems
necessary and proper to carry out this chapter.
I. The board may remove a district supervisor from
office if the board determines, after reasonable notice and an impartial
hearing, that the supervisor is guilty of misfeasance, malfeasance or
nonfeasance in office. For the purposes of this subsection, "nonfeasance"
includes the failure to attend three consecutive meetings of district
supervisors without reasonable excuse.
J. The board, pursuant to chapter 4, article 4 of
this title, may contract for or employ professional and administrative
services. Contracts for professional services are exempt from chapter 23 of
this title.
END_STATUTE
Sec. 3. Section 41-6013, Arizona Revised
Statutes, is amended to read:
START_STATUTE
41-6013.
Environmental special plate fund; distribution
A. The environmental special plate fund is
established and is administered by the board consisting of monies received
pursuant to section 28-2413.
B. Subject to legislative appropriation, the board
shall distribute
$5,000
not more than
$10,000
annually to each natural resource conservation district with an
established education center for the purpose of developing and implementing an
environmental education program that is conducted in a balanced manner, that is
based on current scientific information and that includes a discussion of
economic and social implications.
C. The fund established in this section is exempt
from the provisions of section 35-190 relating to lapsing of
appropriations. On notice from the board, the state treasurer shall invest and
divest monies in the fund as provided by section 35-313, and monies
earned from investment shall be credited to the fund.
D. The appropriated monies shall only be used for
the designated purposes specified in statute.
END_STATUTE
Sec. 4.
Retention of members
Notwithstanding
section 41-6011, Arizona Revised Statutes, as amended by this act, all
persons serving as members of the state natural resource conservation board on
the effective date of this act may continue to serve until the expiration of
their normal terms. All subsequent appointments shall be as prescribed by
statute.
APPROVED BY THE GOVERNOR APRIL 13, 2026.
FILED IN THE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE APRIL 13, 2026.