HOUSE BILL REPORT

EHB 1492

BYRepresentatives H. Sommers  and Chandler; by request of Governor Gardner

Revising various boards and commissions.

House Committe on State Government

Majority Report:  Do pass with amendments.  (9)

      Signed by Representatives H. Sommers, Chair; Anderson, Vice Chair; Baugher, Chandler, Hankins, O'Brien, Peery, Taylor and Walk.

House Staff:Ken Conte (786-7135)

AS PASSED HOUSE FEBRUARY 9, 1988

BACKGROUND:

Electrical Advisory Board

The Electrical Advisory Board advises the Director of the Department of Labor and Industries on the regulation of electrical installations, primarily as they relate to the electrical code.

The Board consists of seven members as follows: an electrical utility employee, an installation contractor, a manufacturer of electrical materials, a recognized electrician, a professional engineer, a representative of the public, and the State Chief Electrical Inspector.  All members are appointed by the Governor. Members other than the representative of the public and the State Chief Electrical Inspector are appointed from lists of nominees submitted by nonprofit organizations or associations which represent the various businesses within the industry.  Members of the Board are not compensated but are reimbursed for travel expenses.

Board of Electrical Examiners

The Board of Electrical Examiners establishes both general and specialty electrical contractors' licenses, and prepares and administers written examinations to ensure the competence of individuals applying for such licenses.  The Board also advises the Director of the Department of Labor and Industries on the need for additional electrical inspectors.  The Board consists of nine members appointed by the Governor.  Members are compensated ($50 per meeting) and are reimbursed for travel expenses.

Land Bank Advisory Committee

The Land Bank Advisory Committee was created to advise the Department of General Administration on the establishment of a State Land Bank.  Rules relating to the establishment of the State Land Bank have been adopted and the duties of the Committee have been completed.  The Committee consisted of nine members.

Emergency Management Council

The Emergency Management Council advises the Governor and the Director of Community Development on all matters pertaining to emergency management.  The Council consists of not less than seven and not more than fifteen members appointed by the Governor.  The members are to include representatives of city and county governments, sheriffs and police chiefs, local emergency management directors, search and rescue volunteers, medical professions with expertise in emergency medical care, private industry, and local fire chiefs.  Members of the Council are not compensated but they are reimbursed for travel expenses.

Transportation of Hazardous Materials Technical Advisory Committee

The Transportation of Hazardous Materials Technical Advisory Committee advises the Chief of the Washington State Patrol on the development of rules and regulations governing the transportation of hazardous materials.  The Committee consists of six members appointed by the Chief. Members of the committee represent the petroleum industry, the chemical industry, the trucking industry, the herbicide industry, the pesticide industry, and the Association of Fire Chiefs.

Institute of Forest Resources Advisory Commission

The Institute of Forest Resources Advisory Commission was established to review, oversee, and develop policy relating to the research and educational activities of the Institute of Forest Resources located at the University of Washington.

Currently, the eight-member Commission does not exist.  The duties of the Commission are currently being carried out by the Visiting Committee to the College of Forest Resources.

SUMMARY:

Electrical Board

The Electrical Advisory Board is renamed the Electrical Board and its membership is increased from seven to ten members.  The Board of Electrical Examiners is abolished and its duties, along with those of the Electrical Advisory Board, are transferred to the new Electrical Board.

The ten-member Electrical Board consists of an electrical utility employee; three licensed electrical contractors, one of whom may represent a trade association in the electrical industry; a manufacturer of electrical materials, three certified electricians; a professional electrical engineer; and a representative of the public with knowledge of the electrical industry.  The State Chief Electrical Inspector is removed from the Board.

Members of the Board are to be appointed by the Governor.  The existing requirement that the members be appointed from lists of nominees submitted by nonprofit associations or organizations is deleted.  In appointing the original Board, the Governor is to give consideration to the value of continuity in membership from the two predecessor Boards.  Members serve staggered four-year terms.  The Board is to meet at least quarterly.  Members will be compensated ($50 per meeting) and reimbursed for travel expenses.

Emergency Management Council and the Transportation of Hazardous Materials Technical Advisory Committee

The Transportation of Hazardous Materials Technical Advisory Committee is abolished and its duties are transferred to the Emergency Management Council.  The Council advises both the Director of Community Development and the Chief of the Washington State Patrol.

The maximum membership authorized for the Emergency Management Council is expanded from fifteen to seventeen.  The Council is to include a representative of the Washington State Patrol, and the representatives of the private industry are to include persons with knowledge in the handling and transportation of hazardous materials.

Land Bank Advisory Committee and Institute of Forest Resources Advisory Committee

The statutory requirements for the Land Bank Advisory Committee and the Institute of Forest Resources Advisory Committee are repealed.

EFFECT OF SENATE AMENDMENT(S):  The governor shall select an executive director for the Arts Commission by September 1, 1988 from a list of three names submitted by the commission.  The executive director serves at the pleasure of the governor.

Fiscal Note:      Requested January 22, 1988.

Effective Date:Section 16 of the bill takes effect on June 30, 1988.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    Fred Hellberg, Office of the Governor; Bob Neilson, Department of Community Development; Rick Jensen, Washington State Patrol; Jim Salatino, IBEW; Hank McGuire, IBEW Local 46; Kent Gardner, Electrical Advisory Board; and Larry Stevens, N.E.C.A.

House Committee - Testified Against:      None Presented.

House Committee - Testimony For:    This is part of the Governor's efforts to streamline state government by repealing unnecessary boards and consolidating others.  The two electrical boards are good candidates for consolidation; they both deal with regulatory functions within the same agency.  Placing the advisory activities relating to the transportation of hazardous materials under the Emergency Management Council will better serve the needs of the public.  The Land Bank Advisory Committee and the Institute of Forest Resources Advisory Committee are inactive.  A delicate agreement has been reached regarding the membership of the new electrical board.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      None Presented.

VOTE ON FINAL PASSAGE:

      Yeas 95; Excused 3

Excused:    Representatives Butterfield, Taylor, Williams B