1. "Agency" means any government body which exercises jurisdiction over any road as provided by law.
2. "Committee" means the integrated roadside vegetation management technical advisory committee created in section 314.22.
3. "Coordinator" means the integrated roadside vegetation management coordinator.
4. "Department" means the state department of transportation.
5. "Highway" or "street" means the entire width between property lines of every way or place of whatever nature when any part thereof is open to the use of the public, as a matter of right, for purposes of vehicular traffic.

1. The living roadway trust fund is created in the office of the treasurer of state. The moneys in this fund shall be used exclusively for the development and implementation of integrated roadside vegetation plans. Except as provided in subsections 2 and 3, the moneys shall only be expended for areas on or adjacent to road, street, and highway right-of-ways. The state department of transportation in consultation with the department of natural resources shall establish standards relating to the type of projects available for assistance. For the fiscal period beginning July 1, 1988, and ending March 31, 1990, the moneys in the fund shall be expended as follows:  fifty-six percent on state department of transportation projects; thirty percent on county projects; and fourteen percent on city projects.
   
   A city or county which has a project which qualifies for the use of these funds shall submit a request for the funds to the state department of transportation. A city or county may, at its option, apply moneys allocated for use on city or county projects under this subsection toward qualifying projects on the primary system. The state department of transportation in consultation with the department of natural resources shall determine which projects qualify for the funds and which projects shall be funded if the requests for the funds exceed the availability of the funds. In ranking applications for funds, the department shall consider the proportion of political subdivision matching funds to be provided, if any, and the proportion of private contributions to be provided, if any. In considering the proportion of political subdivision matching funds provided, the department shall consider only those moneys which are in addition to those which the political subdivision has historically provided toward such projects. Funds allocated to the cities, the counties, and the department which are not programmed by the end of each fiscal year shall be available for redistribution to any eligible applicant regardless of the original allocation of funds. Such funds shall be awarded for eligible projects based upon their merit in meeting the program objectives established by the department under section 314.22. The department shall submit a report of all projects funded in the previous fiscal year to the governor and to the general assembly on January 15 of each year.
   
   Beginning April 1, 1990, the moneys in the living roadway trust fund shall be allocated between the state, counties, and cities in the same proportion that the road use tax funds are allocated under section 312.2, subsections 1, 2, 3, and 4. However, after April 1, 1990, a city or county shall not be eligible to receive moneys from the living roadway trust fund unless the city or county has an integrated roadside vegetation management plan in place consistent with the objectives in section 314.22.

1. The department may authorize projects which provide grants or loans to local governments and organizations which are developing community entryway enhancement and other planting demonstration projects. Planning, public education, installation, and initial maintenance planning and development may be determined by the department to be eligible activities for funding under this paragraph. Projects approved under this paragraph require a local match or contribution toward the overall project cost.
2. The department may authorize projects which provide grants or loans to local governments for the purchase of specialized equipment and special staff training for the establishment of alternative forms of roadside vegetation. Projects approved under this paragraph require a local match or contribution toward the overall project cost.
3. The department, in order to create greater visual effect, shall investigate alternatives for concentrating plantings at strategic locations to gain a greater visual impact and appeal as well as stronger scenic value. Equal attention shall be given to providing safe and effective habitats for wildlife which can coexist with highways.
4. The department may authorize projects which provide grants or loans to local jurisdictions for increased protection through the use of easements, fee title acquisition, covenants, zoning ordinances, or other provisions for protection of vegetation and desirable environment adjacent to the right-of-way. Off-right-of-way projects shall emphasize vegetation protection or enhancement, scenic and wildlife values, erosion control and enhancement of vegetation management projects within the right-of-ways.

1. Moneys allocated to the state under subsection 1 shall be expended as follows:

1. Fifty thousand dollars annually to the department for the services of the integrated roadside vegetation management coordinator and support.
2. One hundred thousand dollars annually for education programs, research and demonstration projects, vegetation inventories and strategies, under section 314.22, subsections 5, 6, and 8.
3. All remaining moneys for the gateways program under section 314.22, subsection 7.

2. Moneys allocated to the counties under subsection 1 shall be expended as follows:
    
   1. For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1995, and ending June 30, 1996, and each subsequent fiscal year, seventy-five thousand dollars to the university of northern Iowa to maintain the position of the state roadside specialist and to continue its integrated roadside vegetation management program providing research, education, training and technical assistance.
   2. All remaining moneys for grants or loans under subsection 2, paragraph "a".
       
3. Moneys allocated to the cities shall be expended for grants or loans under subsection 2, paragraph "a".

1. Objectives. It is declared to be in the general public welfare of Iowa and a highway purpose for the vegetation of Iowa's roadsides to be preserved, planted, and maintained to be safe, visually interesting, ecologically integrated, and useful for many purposes. The state department of transportation shall provide an integrated roadside vegetation management plan and program which shall be designed to accomplish all of the following:

1. Maintain a safe travel environment.
2. Serve a variety of public purposes including erosion control, wildlife habitat, climate control, scenic qualities, weed control, utility easements, recreation uses, and sustenance of water quality.
3. Be based on a systematic assessment of conditions existing in roadsides, preservation of valuable vegetation and habitats in the area, and the adoption of a comprehensive plan and strategies for cost-effective maintenance and vegetation planting.
4. Emphasize the establishment of adaptable and long-lived vegetation, often native species, matched to the unique environment found in and adjacent to the roadside.
5. Incorporate integrated management practices for the long-term control of damaging insect populations, weeds, and invader plant species.
6. Build upon a public education program allowing input from adjacent landowners and the general public.
7. Accelerate efforts toward increasing and expanding the effectiveness of plantings to reduce wind-induced and water-induced soil erosion and to increase deposition of snow in desired locations.
8. Incorporate integrated roadside vegetation management with other state agency planning and program activities including the recreation trails program, scenic highways, open space, and tourism development efforts. Agencies should annually report their progress in this area to the general assembly.

2. Counties may adopt plans. A county may adopt an integrated roadside vegetation management plan consistent with the integrated roadside vegetation management plan adopted by the department under subsection 1.
    
3. Integrated roadside vegetation management technical advisory committee.

1. The director of the department shall appoint members to an integrated roadside vegetation management technical advisory committee which is created to provide advise on the development and implementation of a statewide integrated roadside vegetation management plan and program and related projects. The department shall report annually in January to the general assembly regarding its activities and those of the committee. Activities of the committee may include, but are not limited to, providing advice and assistance in the following areas:

1. Research efforts.
2. Demonstration projects.
3. Education and orientation efforts for property owners, public officials, and the general public.
4. Activities of the integrated roadside vegetation management coordinator for integrated roadside vegetation management.
5. Reviewing applications for funding assistance.
6. Securing funding for research and demonstrations.
7. Determining needs for revising the state weed law and other applicable Code sections.
8. Liaison with the Iowa state association of counties, the Iowa league of cities, and other organizations for integrated roadside vegetation management purposes.

2. The director may appoint any number of persons to the committee but, at a minimum, the committee shall consist of all of the following:
    
   1. One member representing the utility industry.
   2. One member from the Iowa academy of sciences.
   3. One member representing county government.
   4. One member representing city government.
   5. Two members representing the private sector including community interest groups.
   6. One member representing soil conservation interests.
   7. One member representing the department of natural resources.
   8. One member representing county conservation boards.

   Members of the committee shall serve without compensation, but may be reimbursed for allowable expenses from the living roadway trust fund created under section 314.21. No more than a simple majority of the members of the committee shall be of the same gender as provided in section 69.16A. The director of the department shall appoint the chair of the committee and shall establish a minimum schedule of meetings for the committee.

4. Integrated roadside vegetation management coordinator. The integrated roadside vegetation management coordinator shall administer the department's integrated roadside vegetation management plan and program. The department may create the position of integrated roadside vegetation management coordinator within the department or may contract for the services of the coordinator. The duties of the coordinator include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Conducting education and awareness programs.
2. Providing technical advice to the department and the department of natural resources, counties, and cities.
3. Conducting demonstration projects.
4. Coordinating inventory and implementation activities.
5. Providing assistance to local community-based groups for undertaking community entryway projects.
6. Being a clearinghouse for information from Iowa projects as well as from other states.
7. Periodically distributing information related to integrated roadside vegetation management.
8. General coordination of research efforts.
9. Other duties assigned by the director of transportation. 

5. Education programs. The department shall develop educational programs and provide educational materials for the general public, landowners, governmental employees, and board members as part of its program for integrated roadside vegetation management. The educational program shall provide all of the following:

1. The development of public service announcements and television programs about the importance of roadside vegetation in Iowa.
2. The expansion of existing training sessions and educational curriculum materials for county weed commissioners, government contract sprayers, maintenance staff, and others to include coverage of integrated roadside management topics such as basic plant species identification, vegetation preservation, vegetation inventory techniques, vegetation management and planning procedures, planting techniques, maintenance, communication, and public relations. County and municipal engineers, public works staffs, planning and zoning representatives, parks and habitat managers, and others should be encouraged to participate.
3. The conducting of statewide and regional conferences and seminars about integrated roadside vegetation management, community entryways, scenic values of land adjoining roadsides, and other topics relating to roadside vegetation.
4. The preparation, display, and distribution of a variety of public relations material, in order to better inform and educate the traveling public on roadside vegetation management activities. The public relations materials shall inform motorists of a variety of roadside vegetation issues including all of the following

1. Benefits of various types of roadside vegetation
2. Long-term results expected from planting and maintenance practices.
3. Purposes for short-term disturbances in the roadside landscapes.
4. Interesting aspects of the Iowa landscape and individual landscape regions.
5. Other aspects relating to wildlife and soil erosion.

5. Preparation and distribution of educational material designed to inform adjoining property owners, farm operators, and others of the roadside vegetation and their responsibilities of proper stewardship of that vegetation resource.

6. Research and demonstration projects. The department, as part of its plan to provide integrated roadside vegetation management, shall conduct research and feasibility studies including demonstration projects of different kinds at a variety of locations around the state. The research and feasibility studies may be conducted in, but are not limited to, any of the following areas:

1. Cost effective or comparison of planting, establishing and maintaining alternative or warm-season, native grass and forb roadside vegetation and traditional cool-season non-native vegetation.
2. Identification of the relationship that roadsides and roadside vegetation have to maintain water quality, through drainage wells, sediment and pollutant collection and filtration, and other means.
3. Impacts of burning as an alternative vegetation management tool on all categories of roads.
4. Techniques for more quickly establishing erosion control and permanent vegetative cover on recently disturbed ground as well as interplanting native species in existing vegetative cover.
5. Effectiveness of technique for reduced or selected use of herbicides to control weeds.
6. Identification of cross section and slope steepness design standards which provide for motorist safety as well as for improved establishment, maintenance, and replacement of different types of vegetation.
7. Identification of a uniform inventory and assessment technique which could be used by many counties in establishing integrated roadside management programs.
8. Equipment innovations for seeding and harvesting grasses in difficult terrain settings, roadway ditches, fore-slopes, and back-slopes.
9. Identification of the perceptions of motorists and landowners to various types of roadside vegetation and configuration of plantings.
10. Market or economic feasibility studies for native seed, forb, and woody plant production and propagation.
11. Impacts of vegetation modifications on increasing or decreasing wildlife populations in rural and urban areas.
12. Effects of vegetation on the number and location of wildlife road-kills in rural and urban areas.
13. Costs to the public for improper off-site resource management adjacent to roadsides.
14. Advantages, disadvantages, and techniques of establishing pedestrian access adjacent to highways, and their impacts on vegetation management.
15. Identification of alternative techniques for snow catchment on farmland adjacent to roadside.

7. Gateway program. The department shall develop a gateways program to provide meaningful visual impacts including major new plantings at the important highway entry points to the state and its communities. Substantial and distinctive plantings shall also be designed and installed at these points. Creative and artistic design solutions shall be sought for these improvements. Communications about these projects shall be provided to local groups in order to build community involvement, support, and understanding of their importance. Consideration shall be given to a requirement that gateways projects produce a local match or contribution toward the overall project cost.
    
8. Vegetation inventories and strategies.

1. The department shall coordinate and compile integrated roadside vegetation inventories, classification systems, plans, and implementation strategies for roadsides. Areas of increased program and project emphasis may include, but are not limited to all of the following:

1. Additional development and funding of state gateways projects.
2. Accelerated replacement of dead and unhealthy plants with native and hard trees and shrubs.
3. Special interest plantings at selected highly visible locations along primary and interstate highways.
4. Pilot and demonstration projects.
5. Additional snow and erosion control plantings.
6. Welcome center and rest area plantings with native and aesthetically interesting species to create mini-arboretums around the state.

2. The department shall coordinate and compile a reconnaissance of lands to develop an inventory of sites having the potential of being harvested for native grass, forb, and woody plant material seed and growing stock. Highway right-of-ways, parks and recreation areas, converted railroad right-of-ways, state board of regents' property, lands owned by counties, and other types of public property shall be surveyed and documented for seed source potential. Sites volunteered by private organizations may also be included in the inventory. Inventory information shall be made available to state agencies' staffs, county engineers, county conservation board directors, and others.