SECTIONS 8551-8558

8551.  An act of Congress entitled "An act to stop injury to thepublic grazing lands by preventing overgrazing and soildeterioration, to provide for their orderly use, improvement anddevelopment, to stabilize the livestock industry dependent upon thepublic range, and for other purposes," approved June 28, 1934,provides for the cooperation of the Secretary of the Interior of theUnited States with State and other officials and associations, andfor the payment of certain money by the Secretary of the Interior tothe State.8552.  The State Lands Commission may cooperate with the Secretaryof the Interior, and may, in the name of the State, exchange lands inthe manner and under the conditions prescribed in Section 8 of theAct of Congress cited in Section 8551 of this code.8553.  The State Lands Commission is hereby designated the "Stateland officials" referred to in Section 9 of the Act of Congress citedin 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 ofwild life" referred to in Section 9 of the act of Congress cited inSection 8551 of this code.8555.  All moneys received by the State of California from thegovernment of the United States pursuant to the act referred to inSection 8551, or pursuant to any other act of Congress providing forthe distribution and payment to states and territories of a fixed anddefinite percentage of the moneys received by the government of theUnited States from grazing lands or districts acquired or establishedtherein by the government of the United States or by any officer orinstrumentality thereof, shall, on order of the Controller, bedeposited in the United States Grazing Fees Fund, which is herebyestablished in the State Treasury. That money shall be disposed of,in accordance with the terms of that act of Congress, by the paymentof that money to the counties in which those grazing lands ordistricts are situated. The payments made to each county from thereceipts of any given parcel of grazing lands or of any grazingdistrict shall be allocated in accordance with a payment schedulethat distributes the payments in the same manner and basis upon whichthe fees were collected, as officially established by the Secretaryof the Interior or other authorized official of the government of theUnited States.8556.  The State Controller shall keep a record of the receipts fromthe Government of the United States on account of Federal grazinglands or districts situated in each county in this State. On orbefore the thirtieth day of June of each year, the State Controllershall draw his warrant in favor of the treasurer of each and everycounty entitled to payment hereunder for whatever sum of money may bedue to such county according to the provisions of this article, andthe State Treasurer shall pay the warrants so drawn. All moneys nowor hereafter deposited in the United States Grazing Fees Fund underthe provisions of this article are hereby appropriated to beapportioned and paid to the counties of this State as hereinprovided.8557.  Any State or county offices or agency, or any stockmen'sassociation, whether incorporated or unincorporated, or any person,firm, corporation, or association may enter into cooperativeagreements with the Secretary of the Interior for the purpose ofcarrying out the provision and policy of the Act of Congress cited inSection 8551 of this code.8557.5.  Any money deposited in the State Treasury pursuant toSection 10 of the act of Congress referred to in Section 8551 of thiscode and apportioned to any county or counties of this State asherein provided shall be expended by and within each of such countiessolely for range improvements and for control of predators; and itshall be the duty of the county auditor of any county receiving apayment of such money immediately to credit the same to an account inthe proper fund on his books earmarked and available only forexpenditures for range improvements and for control of predators. There is in each county in which there are public lands leased tofive or more lessees under Section 15 of the act referred to inSection 8551 of this code a grazing advisory board. The members ofsuch board shall be appointed by the board of supervisors of thecounty. The members of the committee shall be selected fromcandidates recommended by the lessees of land in the county underSection 15 of the act referred to in Section 8551 of this code at anelection conducted in the manner prescribed by rule and regulation ofthe board of supervisors of the county. There shall be not less thanfive nor more than 12 such lessees on such committee and there shallbe one additional member to represent the interests of wildlifeconservation. The terms of the members of the committee shall bethree years except that of the members first appointed the termsshall be arranged so that those of one-third of the members, asnearly as may be, will expire at the end of the first, second, andthird years, respectively. An appointment to fill a vacancy shall befor the unexpired term. The members of the advisory grazing boardshall receive no compensation and no reimbursement for any personalexpenses. Said board shall meet at least once annually and shallrecommend to the board of supervisors plans or projects of rangedevelopment and predator control for which money derived from leasesunder Section 15 of the act referred to in Section 8551 of this codeis to be expended.8558.  Any money deposited in the State Treasury pursuant to Section11 of the act of Congress referred to in Section 8551 of this codeand apportioned to any county or counties of this State as providedin this article, shall be expended by and within each of suchcounties, in equal shares, solely for the benefit of the publicschools and county highways; and it shall be the duty of the countyauditor of any county receiving a payment of such money immediatelyto credit the same as follows: 50 percent thereof to an account inthe proper fund on his books earmarked and available solely forexpenditures for the benefit of the public schools in such county,and 50 percent thereof to an account in the proper fund on his booksearmarked and available solely for expenditures for county highwaysin such county.