8551-8558
PUBLIC RESOURCES CODE
SECTION 8551-8558
8551. An act of Congress entitled "An act to stop injury to the public grazing lands by preventing overgrazing and soil deterioration, to provide for their orderly use, improvement and development, to stabilize the livestock industry dependent upon the public range, and for other purposes," approved June 28, 1934, provides for the cooperation of the Secretary of the Interior of the United States with State and other officials and associations, and for the payment of certain money by the Secretary of the Interior to the State. 8552. The State Lands Commission may cooperate with the Secretary of the Interior, and may, in the name of the State, exchange lands in the manner and under the conditions prescribed in Section 8 of the Act of Congress cited in Section 8551 of this code. 8553. The State Lands Commission is hereby designated the "State land officials" referred to in Section 9 of the Act of Congress cited in Section 8551 of this code. 8554. The Department of Fish and Game is hereby designated the "official state agency engaged in the conservation or propagation of wild life" referred to in Section 9 of the act of Congress cited in Section 8551 of this code. 8555. All moneys received by the State of California from the government of the United States pursuant to the act referred to in Section 8551, or pursuant to any other act of Congress providing for the distribution and payment to states and territories of a fixed and definite percentage of the moneys received by the government of the United States from grazing lands or districts acquired or established therein by the government of the United States or by any officer or instrumentality thereof, shall, on order of the Controller, be deposited in the United States Grazing Fees Fund, which is hereby established in the State Treasury. That money shall be disposed of, in accordance with the terms of that act of Congress, by the payment of that money to the counties in which those grazing lands or districts are situated. The payments made to each county from the receipts of any given parcel of grazing lands or of any grazing district shall be allocated in accordance with a payment schedule that distributes the payments in the same manner and basis upon which the fees were collected, as officially established by the Secretary of the Interior or other authorized official of the government of the United States. 8556. The State Controller shall keep a record of the receipts from the Government of the United States on account of Federal grazing lands or districts situated in each county in this State. On or before the thirtieth day of June of each year, the State Controller shall draw his warrant in favor of the treasurer of each and every county entitled to payment hereunder for whatever sum of money may be due to such county according to the provisions of this article, and the State Treasurer shall pay the warrants so drawn. All moneys now or hereafter deposited in the United States Grazing Fees Fund under the provisions of this article are hereby appropriated to be apportioned and paid to the counties of this State as herein provided. 8557. Any State or county offices or agency, or any stockmen's association, whether incorporated or unincorporated, or any person, firm, corporation, or association may enter into cooperative agreements with the Secretary of the Interior for the purpose of carrying out the provision and policy of the Act of Congress cited in Section 8551 of this code. 8557.5. Any money deposited in the State Treasury pursuant to Section 10 of the act of Congress referred to in Section 8551 of this code and apportioned to any county or counties of this State as herein provided shall be expended by and within each of such counties solely for range improvements and for control of predators; and it shall be the duty of the county auditor of any county receiving a payment of such money immediately to credit the same to an account in the proper fund on his books earmarked and available only for expenditures for range improvements and for control of predators. There is in each county in which there are public lands leased to five or more lessees under Section 15 of the act referred to in Section 8551 of this code a grazing advisory board. The members of such board shall be appointed by the board of supervisors of the county. The members of the committee shall be selected from candidates recommended by the lessees of land in the county under Section 15 of the act referred to in Section 8551 of this code at an election conducted in the manner prescribed by rule and regulation of the board of supervisors of the county. There shall be not less than five nor more than 12 such lessees on such committee and there shall be one additional member to represent the interests of wildlife conservation. The terms of the members of the committee shall be three years except that of the members first appointed the terms shall be arranged so that those of one-third of the members, as nearly as may be, will expire at the end of the first, second, and third years, respectively. An appointment to fill a vacancy shall be for the unexpired term. The members of the advisory grazing board shall receive no compensation and no reimbursement for any personal expenses. Said board shall meet at least once annually and shall recommend to the board of supervisors plans or projects of range development and predator control for which money derived from leases under Section 15 of the act referred to in Section 8551 of this code is to be expended. 8558. Any money deposited in the State Treasury pursuant to Section 11 of the act of Congress referred to in Section 8551 of this code and apportioned to any county or counties of this State as provided in this article, shall be expended by and within each of such counties, in equal shares, solely for the benefit of the public schools and county highways; and it shall be the duty of the county auditor of any county receiving a payment of such money immediately to credit the same as follows: 50 percent thereof to an account in the proper fund on his books earmarked and available solely for expenditures for the benefit of the public schools in such county, and 50 percent thereof to an account in the proper fund on his books earmarked and available solely for expenditures for county highways in such county.