H-1837.1 _______________________________________________
HOUSE BILL 2072
_______________________________________________
State of Washington 52nd Legislature 1991 Regular Session
By Representatives McLean, Rasmussen, Chandler, Lisk, Grant, Kremen, Nealey, Fuhrman and Morton.
Read first time February 21, 1991. Referred to Committee on Trade & Economic Development\Appropriations.
AN ACT Relating to the circuit rider assistance program; adding new sections to chapter 43.63A RCW; making an appropriation; and declaring an emergency.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that:
(1) Small and rural communities often lack the resources to adequately comply with the increasing number and complexity of state planning requirements;
(2) The ability of small and rural communities to experience economic development is limited by lack of financial resources and technical expertise;
(3) Revitalization of these communities is in the public interest.
Therefore, the legislature declares it to be in the public interest to establish a circuit rider program in the department of community development to assist these communities.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter.
(1) "Small communities" means any community with a population less than ten thousand persons.
(2) "Rural communities" means any grouping of consumers, seventy-five percent of whom reside in areas outside of a standard metropolitan statistical area as defined by the United States bureau of census.
(3) "Distressed communities" means any community in which the unemployment rate is twenty percent above the state average for the immediately previous three years.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. The circuit rider assistance program is established in the department of community development. The program shall provide technical and funding assistance to small communities for the purposes outlined in this section. Technical and financial assistance may be made available to communities for the following purposes:
(1) Planning requirements mandated by state legislation;
(2) Accessing federal funds and other state funding or assistance programs;
(3) Complying with either federal or state regulations, including environmental regulations;
(4) Developing programs and strategies to enhance economic growth and diversify economies.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. The circuit rider program shall be located within the local government assistance division of the department. The department shall hire at least one full-time staff to administer the program.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. From appropriations made for this purpose, the department may provide financial assistance in the form of matching funds to local governments for the purposes outlined in section 3 of this act. Matching fund grants may be for no more than fifty percent of the project cost. Applications must be made to the department for this purpose. The department shall provide that eighty percent of funds appropriated for this purpose go to communities classified as either small, economically distressed, or rural.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. The sum of one hundred thousand dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the biennium ending June 30, 1991, from the general fund to the department of community development for the purposes of this act.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. Sections 1 through 5 of this act are each added to chapter 43.63A RCW.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 8. This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and shall take effect immediately.