(a) The sum of thirty million dollars ($30,000,000) shall be available to the Natural Resources Agency, working in cooperation with the department, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for competitive grants to local agencies, state conservancies, federally recognized Native American tribes, nonfederally recognized California Native American tribes listed on the California Tribal Consultation List maintained by the Native American Heritage Commission, joint powers authorities, and nonprofit organizations to provide nonmotorized infrastructure development and enhancements that promote new or alternate access to parks, waterways, outdoor recreational pursuits, and forested or other natural environments to encourage health-related active transportation and opportunities for Californians to reconnect with nature.

(b) Of the amount made available pursuant to this section, up to 25 percent may be made available to communities for innovative transportation projects that provide new and expanded outdoor experiences to disadvantaged youth.

(c) Alignment, development, and improvement of nonmotorized infrastructure and trails that lead to safer interconnectivity among parks, waterways, and natural areas may be encouraged.

(d) The Natural Resources Agency is encouraged, when designing guidelines for grants awarded under this chapter, to utilize existing program guidelines, including, if applicable, guidelines that have been established for the California Recreational Trails Act (Article 6 (commencing with Section 5070) of Chapter 1 of Division 5) and, to the extent possible, to design guidelines that are consistent with the California Recreational Trails Plan, as described in Article 6 (commencing with Section 5070) of Chapter 1 of Division 5.

(Added by Stats. 2017, Ch. 852, Sec. 3. Approved in Proposition 68 at the June 5, 2018, election.)