H-2147.1 _______________________________________________
SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 1818
_______________________________________________
State of Washington 53rd Legislature 1993 Regular Session
By House Committee on Appropriations (originally sponsored by Representatives Karahalios, Sehlin, R. Meyers, Schmidt, Peery, Wood, Zellinsky, Edmondson, Stevens, Schoesler, Flemming, Mielke, Thomas, Foreman, Eide, Campbell, Pruitt, Holm and Talcott)
Read first time 03/08/93.
AN ACT Relating to military dependent communities; adding a new section to chapter 43.06 RCW; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that military base closures and defense procurement contract cancellations may have extreme economic impacts on communities and firms. The legislature began to address this concern in 1990 by establishing the community diversification program in the department of community development. While this program has helped military dependent communities begin the long road to diversification, base closures or major procurement contract reductions in the near future will find these communities unable to respond adequately, endangering the health, safety, and welfare of the community. The legislature intends to target emergency state assistance to military dependent communities significantly impacted by a reduction of defense spending. The emergency state assistance and the long-term strategy should be driven by the impacted community and consistent with the state plan for diversification required under RCW 43.63A.450(4).
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 43.06 RCW to read as follows:
(1) The governor may, by executive order, declare a community to be a "military impacted area." A "military impacted area" means a community or communities, as identified in the executive order, that experience serious social and economic hardships because of a significant reduction in defense spending by the federal government in that community or communities.
(2) If the governor executes an order under subsection (1) of this section, the governor shall establish a response team to coordinate state efforts to assist the military impacted community. The response team may include, but not be limited to, one member from each of the following agencies: (a) The department of community development; (b) the department of trade and economic development; (c) the department of social and health services; (d) the employment security department; (e) the state board for community and technical colleges; (f) the higher education coordinating board; (g) the department of transportation; and (h) the Washington energy office. The governor may appoint a response team coordinator. The governor shall seek to actively involve the impacted community or communities in planning and implementing a response to the crisis. The governor may seek input or assistance from the community diversification advisory committee, and the governor may establish task forces in the community or communities to assist in the coordination and delivery of services to the local community. The state and community response shall consider economic development, human service, and training needs of the community or communities impacted.
(3) The governor shall report to the next session of the legislature as to the designation of a military impacted area. The report shall include recommendations regarding whether a military impacted area should become eligible for (a) funding provided by the community economic revitalization board, public facilities construction loan revolving account, Washington state development loan fund, basic health plan, the public works assistance account; (b) training for dislocated defense workers; or (c) services for dislocated defense workers.
--- END ---