House Bill No. 269 Summary

• Appropriates $97,000 from the Department of Lands Fund for Forest and Range Fire Protection Program for fiscal year 2013 (July 1, 2012 - June 30, 2013) while reducing Federal Grant Fund appropriation by the same amount.

• Appropriates $46,197,100 to the Department of Lands for fiscal year 2014 (July 1, 2013 - June 30, 2014) across five programs: Support Services, Forest Resources Management, Land/Range/Mineral Resource Management, Forest and Range Fire Protection, and Scaling Practices.

• Authorizes 261.47 full-time equivalent positions for the Department of Lands during fiscal year 2014 unless specifically authorized by the Governor, with notification required to the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee for any increases.

• Exempts the Forest and Range Fire Protection Program from object transfer limitations for fiscal year 2014, allowing unlimited transfers between budget object codes while prohibiting transfers between funds without legislative approval.

• Directs the Department of Lands to present a proposal to the fall Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on ongoing funding sources for Rangeland Fire Protection Program, including possible per-acre fees on rangelands similar to forest land fees.

• Encourages agencies to use salary savings from turnover and attrition to provide merit increases and compensation adjustments for deserving employees and those below policy compensation levels.