§ 35-1-107.5. Relief Program for Agricultural Events Organizations – Created – Definitions – Report – Repeal

1. Definitions. As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:
   1. “Agricultural events organization” means a nonprofit or for-profit organization that conducts one or more agricultural events in the state.
   2. “COVID-19” means the coronavirus disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, also known as SARS-CoV-2.
   3. “Program” means the agricultural events relief program created in subsection (2) of this section.
2. Agricultural events relief program. The agricultural events relief program is hereby created within the department. The commissioner shall administer or contract with a third party to administer a relief program to provide relief payments to agricultural events organizations that meet eligibility criteria developed by the commissioner. When determining eligibility for and the size of a relief payment, the commissioner or third-party contractor shall consider the type of agricultural events organization that is applying for a relief payment, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the agricultural events organization’s agricultural events or business model, the size of the organization, and the availability of and the organization’s access to other COVID-19 relief or grant funding. The commissioner or third-party contractor shall prioritize awarding grants to local county fairs before awarding grants to other agricultural events organizations.
3. Funding. For the 2020-21 state fiscal year, the general assembly shall appropriate two million dollars from the general fund to the department for allocation to the commissioner for the program. The commissioner may use the money, not to exceed one hundred thousand dollars, appropriated in accordance with this section for the costs of administering or contracting with a third party to administer the program.
4. Report.
   1. The commissioner shall submit a report:
      1. To the governor; and
      2. At the hearing required by the “State Measurement for Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent (SMART) Government Act”, part 2 of article 7 of title 2.
   2. The report required by this subsection (4) must detail how the money was allocated through the program, including:
      1. The list of relief payment recipients with the amount allocated to each recipient;
      2. The types of agricultural events organizations that received relief payments; and
      3. Any other information deemed pertinent by the commissioner.
5. Repeal. This section is repealed, effective December 31, 2022.

Source: L. 2021: Entire section added, (HB 21-1262), ch. 373, p. 2467, § 1, effective June 29.