Kansas committee hears proposal for state conservation fund, debate centers on lottery funding and local control

The Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources heard a presentation on House Bill 2063 on the proposal to create a State Conservation Fund that would funnel annual dollars into three grant programs for working lands, wildlife conservation and outdoor recreation.

Kyle Hamilton gave the committee a section‑by‑section overview, saying the bill would set an annual transfer of $60,000,000 into the new fund. Under the bill as introduced, the sum would be split each year: 50 percent (about $30,000,000) to a Working Lands Conservation Fund administered by the Division of Conservation in the Kansas Department of Agriculture; 25 percent (about $15,000,000) to a Wildlife Conservation Fund administered by the Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP); and 25 percent (about $15,000,000) to a Kansas Outdoors Fund under KDWP’s parks division. Each subsidiary fund would operate a grant program, prioritize applications that capture matching non‑state funds and require annual reporting to the governor and legislature, with reports posted on the administering division’s website.

The committee heard a fiscal recap from Heather,…