H-1129.2          _______________________________________________

                                  HOUSE BILL 1502

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State of Washington              52nd Legislature             1991 Regular Session

By Representatives O'Brien, Cantwell, Nelson, Wineberry, Anderson, Locke, Jacobsen, Heavey, Cole, Prentice and Haugen.

Read first time January 31, 1991.  Referred to Committee on Trade & Economic Development.Limiting competing actions of ports located near each other.

     AN ACT Relating to port districts located within forty miles of each other; and adding new sections to chapter 53.04 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 53.04 RCW to read as follows:

     The legislature finds that it is in the best interest of the citizens in King and Pierce counties that the port districts of those respective counties jointly work together to promote and encourage stable, more efficient port operations.  It is further recognized that these port districts, by having extremely broad taxing powers, are presently being subsidized by the taxpayers of their counties.  It is therefore the intent of section 2 of this act that these port districts refrain from competition with each other.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 53.04 RCW to read as follows:

     Port districts of a class A or AA county shall not compete for the business of a customer, lessee, or other like tenant of a port district of a class A or AA county that is located within a forty-mile radius of the district.