(a) All sums received through the payment of fees, the forfeiture of bonds, the recovery of civil penalties or appropriations by the Legislature shall be placed in the State Treasury and credited to an open account designated as the Alabama Surface Mining Fund. This fund, which shall include the Alabama Surface Mining Reclamation Fund established by Act No. 551, 1975 Regular Session, shall be available to the regulatory authority for expenditure in the administration and enforcement of this article, and training, reclamation and research programs; provided, that the proceeds from the forfeiture of any bond shall be used to the extent required by law in completing reclamation and revegetation of the area with respect to which the bond applies. Any unencumbered and any unexpended balance of this fund remaining at the end of any fiscal year shall not lapse, but shall be carried forward for the purposes of this article until expended.
(b) There is authorized to be appropriated to the Alabama Surface Mining Fund initially the current balance of the Alabama Surface Mining Reclamation Fund at the effective date of this article and such other sums as may thereafter be appropriated by the Legislature.
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