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S1495......................................by LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND TAXATION
APPROPRIATIONS - Appropriating $500,000 to the Idaho State Historical
Society for fiscal years 2001, 2002 and 2003, for the state cemetery
records preservation program; to provide legislative intent regarding the
program, contracts and grants; to provide that unexpended moneys need not
be encumbered and are reappropriated at the end of certain fiscal years.
02/21 Senate intro - 1st rdg - to printing
02/22 Rpt prt - to Fin
S1495
|||| LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO ||||
Fifty-fifth Legislature Second Regular Session - 2000
IN THE SENATE
SENATE BILL NO. 1495
BY LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND TAXATION COMMITTEE
1 AN ACT
2 RELATING TO CEMETERY RECORDS PRESERVATION; APPROPRIATING MONEYS TO THE IDAHO
3 STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY FOR FISCAL YEARS 2001, 2002 AND 2003 FOR THE
4 STATE CEMETERY RECORDS PRESERVATION PROGRAM, TO PROVIDE LEGISLATIVE INTENT
5 REGARDING THE PROGRAM AND CONTRACTS AND GRANTS; TO PROVIDE THAT UNEXPENDED
6 MONEYS NEED NOT BE ENCUMBERED AND ARE REAPPROPRIATED AT THE END OF CERTAIN
7 FISCAL YEARS; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
8 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:
9 SECTION 1. There is hereby appropriated to the State Board of Education
10 for the Idaho State Historical Society the sum of $500,000 to be deposited in
11 the Historical Society Account created in Section 67-4129A, Idaho Code, for
12 the period July 1, 2000, through June 30, 2003, to be expended pursuant to
13 this act. Moneys in this act shall be used for the State Cemetery Records
14 Preservation Program within the State Historical Society. Many cemeteries,
15 especially the older, smaller cemeteries, keep records on cards or ledger
16 books. This paper form of recordkeeping is susceptible to loss from fire,
17 flood and vandalism. These records contain the history of our forefathers, our
18 communities and our society. Because they exist in a vulnerable state, there
19 is a tremendous need to preserve these valuable records.
20 The Idaho State Cemetery Records Preservation Program shall consist of two
21 phases: Phase One - the Cemetery Survey Program, and Phase Two - the Cemetery
22 Grant Program. The purpose of Phase One is to inventory cemeteries throughout
23 the state of Idaho, old and new, small and large, active and inactive, public
24 and private for planning and historical site identification purposes. The
25 State Historical Society should enter into a contract to conduct this inven-
26 tory and accumulate and display the results in a computer geographic informa-
27 tion system (GIS). With the data in a GIS, a map can be printed of the state
28 of Idaho showing the approximate location of each cemetery inventoried and
29 will allow important information on each cemetery to be recorded. Information
30 such as burial data, the size of the cemetery, historical significance of the
31 cemetery itself or of interred individuals. Once completed this information is
32 intended to be turned over to state agencies and the public for planning and
33 research purposes.
34 Phase Two of the Idaho State Cemetery Records Preservation Program shall
35 consist of the establishment of a grant program, by the state, to assist indi-
36 vidual cemeteries to preserve their maps and records. It is intended that cit-
37 ies, counties, cemetery districts, private cemeteries and others with an
38 interest in cemeteries may apply for grant moneys. It is intended that grant
39 moneys be utilized by individual cemeteries to develop a computerized database
40 of all burials in the cemetery and a computerized GIS map of the cemetery
41 showing each grave location. It is intended that the grants be a matching
42 grant program with the State Historical Society providing fifty percent and
43 the local entity matching the fifty percent. Grant amounts shall be limited to
44 a maximum of $10,000 per cemetery.
2
1 SECTION 2. Unexpended moneys in the State Historical Society Account
2 appropriated by this act on June 30, 2001, and June 30, 2002, need not be
3 encumbered as they are deemed encumbered and are appropriated for the follow-
4 ing fiscal year.
5 SECTION 3. This act shall be in full force and effect on and after July
6 1, 2000.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
RS 09633
The Idaho State Cemetery Records Preservation Program is a two-phase program that
will provide the means for gathering and preserving valuable cemetery records, records that will
contain the history of Idaho's communities. Governmental agencies and the public will benefit
from the information that
will be gathered, both in long range planning (as in routing decisions for
transportation planning decisions) and as a research tool for students, historians and genealogists.
Phase One requires that cemeteries throughout the state be inventoried so that historical
site information including burial data, cemetery size and
historical significance can be gathered and then made available for use. Phase Two provides for
the establishment of a grant program, to be administered by the State Historical Society, that will
assist individual cemeteries to develop both a computerized database of all burials in a particular
cemetery and a computerized Geographic Information System (GIS) map showing grave
locations. Cities, counties, cemetery districts, private cemeteries and others will entitled to apply
for the grant money.
The legislation will provide for an appropriation to the Idaho State
Historical Society for purposes of implementing the Idaho State Cemetery Records Preservation
Program in Fiscal Years 2001, 2002 and 2003. It will provide the legislative intent regarding the
program and contracts and grants and will provide that unexpended moneys need not be
encumbered and that those funds will be reappropriated at the end of certain fiscal years.
FISCAL IMPACT
The total amount requested is $500,000. First year expense is expected to be $60,000 or less with
the balance of the requested amount to be used in the form of matching grants with local
cemeteries. Cemeteries who desire to participate in the program may apply for matching grants for
the purpose of plot identification and mapping. Any remaining balance will be returned to the
general fund.
Contact
Name: Steve Guerber
Phone: (208) 334-2682
Name: Senator Grant lpsen
Phone: (208) 332-1326
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/FISCAL NOTE S 1495