8408-S AMH AGEC H3110.1

SSCR 8408 - H COMM AMD

By Committee on Agriculture & Ecology

    Beginning on page 1, line 1, after "WHEREAS," strike all material through "void." on page 3, line 21, and insert "State statutes governing water allocation, instream flows, and other related water resource management are written in a broad manner and as a result there is a wide range of different interpretations of the law which causes much confusion; and

    WHEREAS, This situation creates major problems for the Department of Ecology and water users throughout the state; and

    WHEREAS, This situation causes considerable delays and much higher costs for the Department of Ecology and water users; and

    WHEREAS, An unusually large number of water right appeals of the Department of Ecology actions have overloaded the Pollution Control Hearings Board and the subsequent appeals of the hearings board's decisions to the courts have escalated costs and delays; and

    WHEREAS, An examination by the Legislature of these hard-to-interpret state water laws will give the Legislature the opportunity to clarify these statutes and, by doing so, reduce these problems, costs, and delays;

    NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, By the Senate of the state of Washington, the House of Representatives concurring, That a joint select committee on clarifying state water law be established to examine the hard-to-interpret provisions of the statutes governing water allocation, instream flows, and other related water resource management and to recommend clarifications to those provisions that do not change state policy; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the joint select committee consist of eight members with four members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, two from the majority party caucus and two from the minority party caucus in the House of Representatives, and four members appointed by the President of the Senate, two from the majority party caucus and two from the minority party caucus in the Senate, and that the members of the joint select committee select cochairs of the committee, one from the House of Representatives and one from the Senate; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That staff support for the joint select committee be provided by the office of program research of the House of Representatives and Senate committee services; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the joint select committee report its recommendations to the Legislature in the form of proposed legislation by December 1, 1997."

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