AN ACT APPROPRIATING FUNDS TO THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE FOR GRANTS TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS SUBMITTING PROPOSALS TO LOCATE THE VENTURE STAR PROJECT IN MONTANA; PROVIDING CONDITIONS FOR THE RECEIPT AND USE OF GRANT FUNDS; AND PROVIDING AN IMMEDIATE EFFECTIVE DATE.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:

Section 1. Appropriation -- conditions. (1) There is appropriated to the department of commerce $300,000 from the research and commercialization state special revenue account created in House Bill No. 260. Except as provided in subsection (6), the funds must be used as a grant to a local government submitting a nationally competitive proposal to locate the venture star project in Montana.

(2) The department shall develop procedures for accepting grant proposals and awarding grants. A grant may not be made unless the local government submitting the proposal provides an equal amount of matching funds.

(3) The expenditure of grant funds may be made only for costs incurred after comments have been received and clarified after an evaluation of preliminary proposals by the primary contractor for the venture star project. Following review and consideration by the primary contractor of all proposals for siting the venture star project, only a local government that is identified by the primary contractor to be a viable candidate among other competing states for locating the project in Montana may receive and expend the granted funds.

(4) Grant funds that are not spent pursuant to subsection (3) or that are unspent on June 30, 2001, must be deposited in the general fund.

(5) Except as provided in subsection (6), for the purposes of this section, it is the intent of the legislature that the appropriated funds be used to assist a local government in Montana in competing with venture star proposals submitted by other states, but not with proposals submitted by or for other sites in Montana.

(6) If, after the review and consideration under subsection (3), the primary contractor determines that more than one proposal or site in Montana is competitive among all other states' proposals for the venture star site, the department of commerce shall grant funds to each of those competitive sites.

Section 2. Effective date. [This act] is effective on passage and approval.

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I hereby certify that the within bill,

HB 0621, originated in the House.

Chief Clerk of the House

Speaker of the House

Signed this	day

of	, .

President of the Senate

Signed this	day

of	, .

HOUSE BILL NO. 621

INTRODUCED BY J. WITT, G. BECK, R. BROWN, W. CRISMORE, S. DOHERTY, J. ELLINGSON, E. FRANKLIN, D. FUCHS, G. GOLIE, T. HAGENER, D. HAINES, T. KEATING, M. LINDEEN, J. MANGAN, J. MCKENNEY, L. NELSON, R. PECK, G. ROUSH, B. RYAN, T. SCHMIDT, J. STOVALL, J. TESTER, J. TROPILA, C. TUSS, B. WILSON, J. HOLDEN

BY REQUEST OF THE HOUSE JOINT APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES

AN ACT APPROPRIATING FUNDS TO THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE FOR GRANTS TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS SUBMITTING PROPOSALS TO LOCATE THE VENTURE STAR PROJECT IN MONTANA; PROVIDING CONDITIONS FOR THE RECEIPT AND USE OF GRANT FUNDS; AND PROVIDING AN IMMEDIATE EFFECTIVE DATE.