The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a)
Current justifiable needs for the acquisition of property for environmental purposes substantially exceed state-approved bond funds available for these purposes.
(b)
The Natural Heritage Preservation Tax Credit Act of 2000 authorizes the acquisition of qualified property through donations eligible for a credit against the personal income or bank and corporation tax in an amount equal to 55 percent of the fair market value of any qualified contribution.
(c)
Where property owners are able to utilize this tax credit, state acquisition costs are nearly halved.
(d)
Authorizing the expenditure of bond funds to acquire property using these tax credits will significantly expand the acquisition power of existing bond funds.