Two Assembly bills seeking to establish an historic Sierra Nevada Conservancy moved forward late Wednesday as both passed the crucial Assembly Appropriations Committee by wide margins.
Assembly Bill 2600 (Laird) — sponsored by The Sierra Fund and the Mono Lake Committee and endorsed by a coalition of more than 80 California agencies, organizations and businesses — was amended in the Appropriations Committee, removing the $30 million appropriations from Proposition 50 and leaving the conversation about funding to the budget and appropriations process.
The historic $30 million bond allocation will now be part of the budget and supplemental appropriations process, where The Sierra Fund will continue to advocate that the funds are used to support conservation efforts throughout the Sierra Nevada region and bolster the work of the new proposed Conservancy.
To read the amended AB 2600, click here.
Assembly Bill 1788 (Leslie), received the unanimous support of the Assembly Appropriations Committee. As with AB 2600, this bill was also amended by the Committee, with language restricting Conservancy grants removed from the bill.
To read the amended AB 1788, click here.
Both bills move to the floor of the State Assembly where they will be voted on by Friday, May 28. After passage from the Assembly, the bills will move to the State Senate for further consideration over the summer.
