A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to provide a graduated system of matching funds for grants based on tier status.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 113‑44.15(b) reads as rewritten:
"(b)	Use. – Funds in the Trust Fund are annually appropriated to the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Authority and, unless otherwise specified by the General Assembly or the terms or conditions of a gift or grant, shall be allocated and used as follows:
(1)	Sixty‑five percent (65%) for the State Parks System for capital projects, repairs and renovations of park facilities, and land acquisition, and to retire debt incurred for these purposes under Article 9 of Chapter 142 of the General Statutes.
(2)	Thirty percent (30%) to provide matching funds to local governmental units or public authorities as defined in G.S. 159‑7 for local park and recreation purposes, according to the following:  (i) if located in a development tier one area, no more than one local public dollar ($1.00) shall be required as a match for every three dollars ($3.00) allocated; (ii) if located in a development tier two area, no more than two local public dollars ($2.00) shall be required as a match for every three dollars ($3.00) allocated; and (iii) if in a development tier three area, no more than one local public dollar ($1.00) shall be required as a match for every dollar ($1.00) allocated. The appraised value of land that is donated to a local government unit or public authority may be applied to the matching requirement of this subdivision. These funds shall be allocated by the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Authority based on criteria patterned after the Open Project Selection Process established for the Land and Water Conservation Fund administered by the National Park Service of the United States Department of the Interior. For purposes of this section, development tier designations are defined in G.S. 143B‑437.08. If a gift or grant involves a project located in more than one development tier area, the highest development tier designation shall be used to determine the local match amount.
(3)	Five percent (5%) for the Coastal and Estuarine Water Beach Access Program."
SECTION 2.  G.S. 143B‑437.72(c)(1) reads as rewritten:
"(c)	Local Government Grant Agreement. – An agreement between the State and one or more local governments shall contain the following provisions:
(1)	A commitment on the part of the local government to match the funds allocated by the State, according to the following:  (i)  a development tier one area shall not be required to provide more than one local public dollar ($1.00) for every three dollars ($3.00) allocated by the State; (ii) a development tier two area shall not be required to provide more than two local public dollars ($2.00) for every three dollars ($3.00) allocated by the State; and (iii) a development tier three area shall not be required to provide more than one local public dollar ($1.00) for every dollar ($1.00) allocated by the State. A local match may include cash, fee waivers, in‑kind services, the donation of assets, the provision of infrastructure, or a combination of these. For purposes of this Part,  development tier designations are defined in G.S. 143B‑437.08. If an agreement is between the State and more than one local government, the highest development tier designation shall be used to determine the local match amount. 
…."
SECTION 3.  This act becomes effective January 1, 2010.