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Forestry
and Wildlife Research Center
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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