Panel amends and advances county fair resiliency grant bill requiring dollar‑for‑dollar match

Representative Mike Belz, the bill sponsor, told the Appropriations Committee that House Bill 1591 would appropriate $3,000,000 from the general fund for the 2025–27 biennium to the Agriculture Commissioner to establish a County Fair Resiliency Grant Program for planning, design and construction of fairground infrastructure.

Belz said the grants were intended for smaller county agricultural fair associations and would be capped at $100,000 per award. "Our county fairs are more than just an event. It's a tradition that has been passed on for generations bringing together people from all walks of life to celebrate ag, craftsmanship, entertainment, and community spirit," Belz said. He also told the committee that testifying staff from the Ag Department described awards as a 50% cost share and that the commissioner would administer reimbursable awards based on need.

Committee members questioned how the program would exclude larger fairs and who would decide eligibility. Representative Mike Belz said the language and the prime sponsor's intent were aimed at directing funds to smaller fairs and that the Agriculture Commissioner would have discretion in administering the grants. Representative Murphy asked what $100,000 would realistically cover; Belz said the money is meant for planning, design and infrastructure upgrades such as wiring and building repairs and acknowledged the amount would not cover large new construction but could make a difference for smaller fairs.

Representative Nelson moved to amend HB1591 to require a dollar‑for‑dollar match up to $100,000 per grant; Representative Munson seconded the amendment. The committee adopted the amendment by roll call (amendment recorded in committee roll as approved; recorded counts in committee roll were in the transcript). After additional discussion, Representative Nelson moved a due‑pass recommendation as amended; the motion carried on the committee roll call read in the hearing. The committee recorded that the bill, as amended to require a match, would be sent forward with a favorable recommendation.

The transcript records multiple committee questions about whether the largest fairs (for example, the Red River Valley Fair) would qualify; members noted the bill text does not explicitly exclude larger fairs, only that the prime sponsor intended the funds to target smaller county agricultural fair associations. The Ag Commissioner’s written comments (cited in committee discussion) described a 1:1 match in testimony; committee members acknowledged that implementation details—eligibility standards and whether a formal statutory match requirement or administrative match—would be determined through the bill and administering rules.

The committee discussion also included a point about the estimated number of county fairs statewide; Belz and staff cited roughly 32 county fair associations as a planning estimate for potential applicants. Committee members emphasized that the $100,000 cap and the match requirement were intended to spread available dollars among smaller fairs rather than concentrate awards in large population centers.

The bill will move forward from appropriations as amended; Representative Belz was recorded as the committee carrier in the hearing record.