S-3630.1          _______________________________________________

                                 SENATE BILL 6399

                  _______________________________________________

State of Washington              52nd Legislature             1992 Regular Session

By Senator Barr

Read first time 01/28/92.  Referred to Committee on Governmental Operations.Requiring state agencies to hold public hearings and make findings of fact prior to purchasing land.

     AN ACT Relating to acquisition of land by state agencies; adding a new section to chapter 43.19 RCW; and declaring an emergency.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 43.19 RCW to read as follows:

     (1) All state agencies shall hold a minimum of three public hearings before the purchase of a total of more than one hundred acres of land in a county in a budget year.  The hearings shall be held in the county where the land is to be purchased.

     (2) After the hearings and before making the purchase or a legal commitment to purchase, the state agency shall make written findings of fact that the economic losses suffered by the county and caused by the deprivation of the property will be offset by the economic gain to the county resulting from the purchase and subsequent use of the property by the state agency.

     (3) The county in which the property is located may waive the protection of either subsection (1) or (2) of this section or both upon the affirmative vote of a majority of its elected legislative body.

     (4) Nothing in subsection (1) or (2) of this section shall prohibit a state agency from purchasing options to buy land prior to holding the required hearings.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.      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.