State Law Establishing

House Bill No. 1305
Mississippi Legislature Regular Session 1994

By: Representatives Eakes, Holland, Chaney, Saucier, Rotenberry, Blue, Shows, McCoy, Stringer, Malone, Smith (35th), Howell, Woods, Henderson, Huskey, Robinson (84th), Johnson, Ellington, Cameron, Ellzey, Read, Gadd, Taylor, Foster, Tyrone, Peranich, Ryan, Davis (7th), Scott (17th), Simmons (100th), King (104th), Maples, Grady, Broomfield

To: Universities and Colleges; Appropriations

AN ACT TO CREATE THE FOREST AND WILDLIFE RESEARCH CENTER AT MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY; TO PROVIDE THAT THE CENTER WILL BE AN ADMINISTRATIVE UNIT OF THE DIVISION OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND VETERINARY MEDICINE AND WILL ASSUME THE RESEARCH FUNCTIONS OF THE FOREST PRODUCTS UTILIZATION LABORATORY, THE DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY, THE DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES AND THE FURNITURE RESEARCH UNIT WITHIN THE DIVISION; TO REPEAL SECTIONS 57-17-1 THROUGH 57-17-15, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, WHICH CREATE AND EMPOWER THE FOREST PRODUCTS UTILIZATION LABORATORY; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

This act shall be known, and may be cited, as the Renewable Natural Resources Research Act of 1994.

The Legislature finds and declares:
(a) That the economic progress of Mississippi depends in large measure upon the development and wise use of the natural resources of this state;
(b) That the forest, wildlife and fisheries resources in this state constitute a vital segment of the natural resources available in Mississippi;
(c) That the forest, wildlife and fisheries resources, when properly managed and efficiently utilized, contribute significantly to the economic well being of Mississippi;
(d) That forestry, wildlife and related natural resource research programs can be coordinated, integrated and strengthened in a more efficient and effective manner when funded and managed jointly within a single administrative unit;
(e) That there is a present and increasing need for additional knowledge of natural resource management and utilization practices, the impact of such practices on the long- term viability of forest, wildlife and fishery resources, and the interrelationship between natural resource management and utilization practices and those aspects of environmental quality associated with the state's forest and water resources; and
(f) That this act is specifically designed to consolidate within a single administrative unit diverse programs of research which address the forest, wildlife and fisheries resources of the state and the management and utilization thereof.

(1) The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning is authorized and directed to establish a Forest and Wildlife Research Center at Mississippi State University. The center will be an administrative unit within the Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine. The Dean of the School of Forest Resources shall serve as the director of the center.
(2) The center shall conduct a program of research relevant to the efficient management and utilization of the forest, wildlife and fisheries resources of this state and to the protection and enhancement of the natural environment associated with those resources. The center shall disseminate results of such research programs to the public and to individuals and organizations for whom such information will be useful. The center shall conduct research that will encourage the growth and development of the furniture manufacturing industry and allied industries in this state and shall work closely with the Mississippi Cooperative Extension Service, the University Research Center, the Mississippi Department of Economic and Community Development and other agencies, both public and private, in the dissemination of its research findings.
(3) From and after the creation of the Forest and Wildlife Research Center, the center shall assume all research functions which are being exercised within the Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine by the Forest Products Utilization Laboratory, by the Department of Forestry, by the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, by the Furniture Research Unit and, upon the recommendation of the President of Mississippi State University to the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, by other departments and units of the university.
(4) All records, personnel, property and unexpended balances of appropriations, allocations or other funds relating to those research functions which are being assumed by the center shall be transferred to the center. The transfer of segregated or special funds shall be made in such a manner that the relation between program and revenue source is retained.

The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning shall provide for the Forest and Wildlife Research Center such buildings, equipment, personnel, supplies and services as it shall determine to be necessary for the proper operation and maintenance of the center, having due regard for the contributory facilities and programs already existing at Mississippi State University.
In addition to appropriations made by the Legislature from the State General Fund, the Forest and Wildlife Research Center is authorized and empowered, subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning upon recommendation by the President of Mississippi State University, to receive contributions, donations, gifts and grants of money and/or property, equipment, materials and manpower from persons, foundations, trust funds, corporations, organizations, and state and federal agencies for use in carrying out the purposes and objectives of this act.

(1) Personnel of the Forest and Wildlife Research Center are also authorized, subject to policies and procedures in force at Mississippi State University, to conduct research on a contractual basis for industries, governmental agencies, public or private organizations or corporations, and individuals at a price and on a basis to be determined by such personnel. Proceeds derived from such research shall be used, in addition to other funds provided from the State General Fund, for the operation and support of the center.
(2) The personnel of the center shall cooperate fully with the various departments of state government, with the colleges and universities of the state, with the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Experiment Station, with the University Research Center and with the Mississippi Department of Economic and Community Development in an effort to fully effectuate the purposes of this act. All state agencies and departments are authorized and directed to give the center and its personnel their full cooperation in every possible manner.

Sections 57-17-1, 57-17-3, 57-17-5, 57-17-7, 57- 17-9, 57-17-11, 57-17-13 and 57-17-15, Mississippi Code of 1972, which establish and empower the Forest Products Utilization Laboratory at Mississippi State University, are repealed.

This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 1994.

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