SB 5776-S.E - DIGEST

(DIGEST AS ENACTED)

Declares that the purpose of this act is to reform the process of appeal and review of final permit decisions made by state agencies and local governments for qualifying economic development projects, by establishing uniform, expedited, and coordinated appeal procedures and uniform criteria for reviewing such decisions, in order to provide consistent, predictable, and timely review. The appeal process authorized in this act is intended to be the exclusive process for review of final decisions made by state agencies and local governments on permit applications for qualifying economic development projects, superseding other existing administrative board and judicial appeal procedures.

Establishes an environmental and land use hearings board within the environmental hearings office created under RCW 43.21B.005.

Provides that, in order to obtain judicial review of a final decision of the environmental and land use hearings board, a party to the board case as consolidated shall timely file a petition for judicial review in the superior court for Thurston county and timely serve the board and all parties to the proceedings before the board by personal service or by mail.

Declares that the legislature does not intend to appropriate additional funds for the implementation of this act and expects all affected state agencies to implement this act's provisions within existing appropriations.