FINAL BILL REPORT
SHB 2757
C 263 L 96
Synopsis as Enacted
Brief Description: Littering in state parks.
Sponsors: By House Committee on Natural Resources (originally sponsored by Representative Pennington).
House Committee on Natural Resources
Senate Committee on Ecology & Parks
Background: The penalty for littering is a civil infraction. Littering in amounts of one cubic foot or less is subject to a penalty of $50 and any other statutory assessments. Littering in amounts greater than one cubic foot is subject to penalty of up to $250, a cleanup fee of $25 per cubic foot of litter, and any other statutory assessments. A judge may require a litter violator to remove the litter from the property as an alternative to or in addition to the monetary penalty and cleanup fee.
State litter law requires the Director of the Department of Ecology to develop procedures for the collection and distribution of litter penalties, including a provision allowing half the collected penalties to be distributed to local governments. These procedures were never developed. Local governments that enforce litter laws generally do so under their local ordinances.
Summary: A person who litters in a state park must perform 24 hours of community service in the park where the litter violation occurred. The Parks and Recreation Commission must adopt a policy for supervising and evaluating community service activities. Each state park must notify the commission if it intends to participate in the community service program. The commission must transmit a list of state parks that elect to participate in the community service program to the district courts.
The Director of the Department of Ecology is authorized but not required to develop procedures for the collection of litter penalties. The director is not authorized to include provisions for disbursing litter penalties to local governments.
Votes on Final Passage:
House 92 5
Senate 48 0
Effective: June 6, 1996