SENATE BILL REPORT

                  SHB 2757

              As Reported By Senate Committee On:

              Ecology & Parks, February 23, 1996

Title:  An act relating to littering in state parks.

Brief Description:  Requiring community service work for littering in state parks.

Sponsors:  House Committee on Natural Resources (originally sponsored by Representative Pennington).

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  Ecology & Parks:  2/23/96 [DP].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON ECOLOGY & PARKS

Majority Report:  Do pass.

  Signed by Senators Fraser, Chair; Fairley, Vice Chair; Hochstatter, McAuliffe, Spanel and Swecker.

Staff:  Kari Guy (786-7437)

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, plus any other statutory assessments.  Littering in amounts greater than one cubic foot is subject to penalty of up to $250, plus a cleanup fee of $25 per cubic foot of litter plus 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 penalty and cleanup fee. 

Current 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 of 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 of Bill:  A person that 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 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 required to include provisions for disbursing litter penalties to local governments.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  State parks have extensive litter problems.  This bill will provide a deterrent to littering, and help get parks cleaned up.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Rep. Pennington; Russ Cahill, State Parks (pro).