The Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee voted unanimously Saturday to pass House Bill 7-17 as amended, authorizing the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to create affiliated foundations to support state parks and other units and directing DNR to adopt operating policies, including on naming rights and the use of funds.

The measure, described to the committee by a department representative, would establish a land property management program within DNR to handle real property transactions, authorize DNR to set up affiliated foundations to support park operations and projects, and give local jurisdictions more flexibility in using Program Open Space funds. The committee adopted a revised sponsor amendment that incorporates language the department proposed and a technical bracket correction before passing the bill.

April, a DNR representative, told the committee that the department’s suggested language would require “the department shall develop policies for operating each affiliated foundation that the department establishes, including naming rights.” The amendment accepted that framing to ensure naming-rights matters would be addressed inside the operating policies rather than by an absolute ban in statute.

Senators asked about how foundations would interact with the department’s budget and staffing. The department said the fiscal note lists two positions already budgeted in the FY26 proposed budget, and that the bill allows requests for additional positions at a rate of one staff “pin” per 400 acres of land acquisitions. The fiscal note, the department said, assumes filling four pins each year for four years as an illustrative assumption rather than a required action.

Senator Hester urged the department to consult existing federal guidance on naming and philanthropy, noting that the National Park Service has detailed direction on the subject and specifically referencing Director’s Order 21. “You might look at the National Park Service, specifically Director’s Order 21,” Hester said during committee discussion.

Senator Hester moved the bill as amended; Senator Augustine seconded. The committee took a voice/hand vote and the motion carried unanimously. The committee adopted the substantive revised Kagan amendment (as amended by the department) and a technical amendment to correct bracket placement before moving the bill forward.

The bill codifies and formalizes relationships that DNR already has with “friends of” groups and an existing statewide friends-of-state-parks organization, the department said, and is intended to allow those affiliated foundations to raise supplemental funds to support parks and specific projects (for example, bridge or trail replacement) while clarifying that those funds are supplemental and not intended to supplant the department’s regular annual budget appropriations.

The committee took no other changes to the bill at the hearing and approved the measure as amended.