VETO MESSAGE ON HB 1478-S

                   May 19, 1997

To the Honorable Speaker and Members,

  The House of Representatives of the State of Washington

Ladies and Gentlemen:

     I am returning herewith, without my approval, Substitute House Bill No. 1478 entitled:

"AN ACT Relating to feeding wildlife during episodes of severe winter weather;"

     Substitute House Bill No. 1478 would have required the Department of Fish and Wildlife to develop and implement an emergency winter feeding plan for deer and elk for the winter of 1997-98, and to sell property as a way of funding this plan.  Selling long-term assets to pay for a short-term benefit is a questionable practice.  In addition, existing state and federal law require that the proceeds from the sale of these lands be used only for habitat acquisition; it is inappropriate to use revenue from these lands to pay for winter feeding.  SHB 1478 is not a well-crafted approach to provide funds for winter deer and elk feeding.

     Although I have vetoed this bill, I am asking the Department of Fish and Wildlife to work with hunters and other interested parties to develop a long-term strategy for funding emergency winter feeding. 

     For these reasons, I have vetoed Substitute House Bill No. 1478 in its entirety.

                   Respectfully submitted,

                   Gary Locke

                   Governor