H-5236.1          _______________________________________________

                             HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 4043

                  _______________________________________________

State of Washington              54th Legislature             1996 Regular Session

By Representatives Pennington, Basich, Fuhrman, Hatfield, Regala, Johnson, Robertson, Jacobsen, Hankins, Morris, Buck, Beeksma, Smith, Pelesky, Hargrove, Schoesler, Foreman, Hickel, Mitchell, Silver, Blanton, Ballasiotes, Carrell, Mulliken, Radcliff, Skinner, Hymes, Goldsmith, McMahan, Linville, D. Sommers, Conway, Scheuerman, Keiser, McMorris and Stevens

Read first time 2-23-96. 

Petitioning Congress to restore Mitchell Act funding.

     TO THE HONORABLE WILLIAM J. CLINTON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED:

     We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

     WHEREAS, The proposed conference mark for Mitchell Act funds is three and one-half million dollars less than the previous fiscal year; and

     WHEREAS, This proposed cut to Mitchell Act funds is in addition to cuts to this fund source over the past several years; and

     WHEREAS, The Mitchell Act was created to mitigate for the loss of naturally spawning salmon due to the federal power system developed on the Columbia River; and

     WHEREAS, A reduction in Mitchell Act funds will significantly reduce the quantity of hatchery-produced salmon produced in the Columbia River; and

     WHEREAS, Reduced Mitchell Act funding will make it significantly more difficult to enter into an equitable treaty with Canada under the United States/Canada Pacific Salmon Treaty and will result in increased levels of wild salmon being harvested by Canadian fishers; and

     WHEREAS, Commercial fishing families already hard hit by the effects of adverse ocean conditions, endangered species act restrictions, and recent natural disasters will be dealt yet another blow if full Mitchell Act funding is not restored; and

     WHEREAS, Local economies dependent on cash inflow from recreational fishing activity will also be severely impacted by the effects of reduced Mitchell Act funding; and

     WHEREAS, Federal funding for fish hatcheries on the Columbia River is of critical importance to the states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho;

     NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that full Mitchell Act funding of eighteen and one-half million dollars be restored.

     BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable William J. Clinton, President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.

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