(1) (a) There is hereby established in the state treasury the western slope military veterans' cemetery fund, referred to in this section as the "fund". The division is authorized to accept and expend gifts, grants, contributions, and donations for the purposes of this section. The fund shall consist of such moneys received through gifts, grants, contributions, or donations, from any person or entity, and any moneys appropriated to the fund by the general assembly. Any interest derived from the deposit and investment of moneys in the fund shall be credited to the fund. At the end of any fiscal year, all unexpended and unencumbered moneys in the fund shall remain therein and shall not be credited or transferred to the general fund or any other fund. (b) Subject to available appropriations, the division may contract for professional services necessary for the implementation of this section. (2) (a) The general assembly hereby authorizes the establishment and maintenance of a state military veterans' cemetery for the western slope, referred to in this section as the "cemetery". The division is directed to prepare, develop, construct, and maintain such cemetery at the site described in paragraph (b) of subsection (3) of this section. The division may enter into contracts or agreements with any person or public or private entity to prepare, develop, construct, operate, and maintain such cemetery. The cemetery shall be for the purpose of providing for the interment of Colorado residents who are military veterans and their spouses and dependents, as determined by the division. In addition, the adjutant general by rule may permit the interment of other veterans and their spouses and dependents in the cemetery and permit the division to assess a reasonable fee for the interment of such non-Colorado residents. All such fees collected shall be credited to the fund created pursuant to paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of this section. The adjutant general, in consultation with the board, shall promulgate such rules as may be necessary to establish and maintain the cemetery in compliance with applicable state and federal statutes and rules. (b) The general assembly may appropriate moneys from the general fund to the fund for the implementation of this section, including but not limited to the payment of costs associated with the operation and maintenance of the cemetery. (c) (I) If the entire general fund appropriation made to the department of human services, for allocation to the division of veterans affairs, for the fiscal year that commenced on July 1, 1999, is not needed to pay the costs for design and construction of the cemetery, the remainder of such appropriation may be used prior to July 1, 2002, by the department of human services and on or after July 1, 2002, by the department to pay any costs associated with the operation and maintenance of the cemetery without further appropriation by the general assembly. (II) Any appropriation made on and after July 1, 2002, for the operation and maintenance of the cemetery shall be appropriated to the department of military and veterans affairs. (3) (a) The general assembly hereby finds, determines, and declares that any use of the property described in paragraph (b) of this subsection (3) as the cemetery is for a public purpose expressly authorized by the general assembly and therefore permissible under any grant of right- of-way applicable to such property executed by the state board of land commissioners. (b) The division, in preparing, developing, constructing, and maintaining the cemetery, may use for such purposes a parcel consisting of approximately twenty acres of unimproved property within the eastern portion of the real property known as the Grand Junction regional center and shall enter into all necessary agreements to secure the appropriate property rights for such parcel. (4) The division is hereby authorized to provide for surveys, engineering studies, conceptual and architectural plans, environmental impact studies, and other similar preliminary design and construction work as part of the pre-application for funding approval by the federal department of veterans affairs for the cemetery. The division is authorized to seek full reimbursement for such pre-application and design work from the federal department of veterans affairs. (5) The general assembly shall appropriate annually from the fund to the department, for allocation to the division, for any costs associated with the operation and maintenance of the cemetery and for the implementation of this section.
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