AN ACT Relating to Puget Sound; establishing a Puget Sound institute; adding a new chapter to Title 90 RCW; making an appropriation; and declaring an emergency.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. Puget Sound is a treasured resource of the state of Washington that must be protected. The citizens of the state of Washington have invested in the creation and operation of a major marine research and educational facility in the University of Washington college of ocean and fishery sciences. The faculty and staff of the college are recognized as leaders in the fields of fisheries, oceanography, and marine policy. The time is propitious to form a partnership among state agencies and the University of Washington to focus the collective expertise of that great research university on the solution of those problems currently threatening the health of Puget Sound.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. There is created a Puget Sound institute at the University of Washington, which shall be referred to in this chapter as "the institute."

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. The Puget Sound institute shall:

(1) Coordinate the University of Washington's college of ocean and fishery sciences faculty and staff expertise to assist in:

(a) The conduct of basic and applied research on Puget Sound, including studies of normal processes, living and nonliving resources, and pollution effects;

(b) The provision of undergraduate and graduate education that will continue to train students to embark upon careers in the management or regulation of Puget Sound and its resources;

(d) The provision of outreach activities to the citizens of Washington that will continue to offer educational opportunities relating to the priceless resources of Puget Sound and to the important policy questions that surround its use and that influence its future preservation;

(2) Continue to develop comprehensive library holdings relating to Puget Sound, including collections in the fields of fisheries, oceanography, marine policy, and marine toxicology;

(3) Cooperate with the departments of ecology, natural resources, and fisheries in the collection of baseline data on Puget Sound or in the monitoring of Puget Sound processes;

(4) Assist the departments of ecology, natural resources, and fisheries in the provision of rapid response, including data collection and research, in the event of an unforeseen emergency that threatens Puget Sound; and

(5) Serve as a means by which to focus the collective resources of all the schools and colleges of the University of Washington on the solution of Puget Sound questions.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. The Puget Sound institute shall be administered by a director appointed by the dean of the college of ocean and fishery sciences of the University of Washington from the faculty of that college.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. The institute shall coordinate its activities with the department of ecology, the department of natural resources, the state department of fisheries, the United States environmental protection agency, the national oceanic and atmospheric administration, and other state agencies to avoid duplication of effort and programs.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. The governor, the legislature, state agencies, and the public may use the institute's research, educational, and advisory services as may be needed.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. The institute shall solicit private contributions from businesses and individuals to help fund its activities, and shall use previously appropriated funds of the University of Washington and existing resources as much as is possible to further the institute's activities.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 8. Sections 1 through 7 of this act shall constitute a new chapter in Title 90 RCW.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 9. There is appropriated from the general fund to the University of Washington for the biennium ending June 30, 1987, the sum of one million dollars, or so much thereof as may be necessary, to carry out the purposes of the Puget Sound institute.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 10. This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, and safety, the support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and shall take effect immediately.