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Committee narrows state funding for State Fair campground, keeps $1 million for security
Summary
The Appropriations — Education and Environment Division discussed Senate Bill 2009 funding for the State Fair, agreeing to reduce the state share for a campground restroom project to a 50/50 split and retain a $1,000,000 allocation for safety and security infrastructure while striking a statutory exemption in the bill.
The Appropriations — Education and Environment Division reviewed Senate Bill 2009 on state support for the State Fair, with members discussing splits on one‑time projects and language that affects future appropriations.
Representative Lausser told the committee the bill’s base appropriation matched the previous biennium and that the amendment before the panel would change the State’s share for a campground restroom project. Under the Senate version the restroom had been a 75/25 split, with the state paying up to $900,000 of an original $1,200,000 cost; Lausser proposed reducing the state share to a 50/50 match (up to $600,000). He said the fair’s manager is agreeable to that change but insisted the $1,000,000 set aside for safety and security infrastructure remain intact.
Committee members also debated a provision labeled “section 4,” which the chair and staff described as an exemption that would preclude the State Fair from later requesting appropriations. The committee agreed to remove that exemption language and include a repealer clause so the underlying Century Code provision would be struck instead of carving out a specific exemption.
Members asked about the fair’s reserves. Committee staff reported the State Fair’s reserves are approximately $12,000,000 and that the fair recently approved a roughly $6,000,000 roof project; members noted the fair’s income is heavily concentrated around the annual event and that reserves have been tapped in years the fair was canceled.
Lawmakers discussed adding an emergency clause to allow certain work to be done ahead of major events, and some members proposed also making the $1,000,000 security investment a 50/50 match between the state and the fair. Representative Martinson and others said they do not dispute the need for security improvements but asked for more time to consider cost‑sharing levels. The committee did not record a final vote in the transcript excerpt provided.
The chair said staff will assemble a list of the committee’s amendment instructions and return with final amendment language for consideration.
Ending: The committee moved on after placing the State Fair items on its internal list for follow up; no formal roll call or final passage of SB 2009 was recorded in the provided transcript excerpt.
