H-4026.2          _______________________________________________

                                  HOUSE BILL 2800

                  _______________________________________________

State of Washington              52nd Legislature             1992 Regular Session

By Representatives Rayburn, Edmondson, Inslee and Wynne

Read first time 01/28/92.  Referred to Committee on Environmental Affairs.Modifying wastewater operator certification.

     AN ACT Relating to wastewater treatment operator certification; and amending RCW 70.95B.095.

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

     Sec. 1.  RCW 70.95B.095 and 1987 c 357 s 9 are each amended to read as follows:

     ((Effective January 1, 1988,)) The department shall establish rules for the collection of fees for the issuance and renewal of certificates as provided for in RCW 70.95B.090.  ((Beginning January 1, 1992, these fees shall be sufficient to recover the costs of the certification program.)) The cost of the certification shall be split equally between the operators and the state.  The state's portion of the program costs shall be recovered from the fees charged for the issuance of national pollution discharge elimination system permits.

The department shall establish a committee to review the certification program to ensure that it is being run effectively and efficiently.  The committee shall have one representative from each of the following groups:  Wastewater operators, wastewater employers, the department of ecology, Washington state environmental study centers, the legislature, and the general public.  This committee shall meet at least once a year to review proposed changes in the certification program and examine past and proposed costs of running the program.