HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  HB 1701

             As Reported By House Committee On:

                      Natural Resources

Title:  An act relating to the recreation resource account.

Brief Description:  Allowing for the use of funds to dredge marine recreation land.

Sponsors:  Representatives Buck, Doumit, Radcliff, Kessler, Sump, Miloscia, Barlean, Regala, Schoesler, DeBolt, Hatfield, Tokuda, Eickmeyer, Mielke, Pennington, B. Chandler, Alexander, Clements and Mastin.

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Natural Resources:  2/16/99, 2/24/99 [DPS].

           Brief Summary of Substitute Bill

$Allows the use of recreation resource account funds for renovation of recreation facilities including periodic dredging.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES

Majority Report:  The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  Signed by 11 members:  Representatives Buck, Republican Co-Chair; Regala, Democratic Co-Chair; Anderson, Democratic Vice Chair; Sump, Republican Vice Chair; G. Chandler; Clements; Doumit; Eickmeyer; Pennington; Rockefeller and Stensen.

Staff:  Josh Weiss (786-7129).

Background:

The motor vehicle fuel tax is paid on all motor vehicle fuel sold in the state.  The director of licensing is required to determine, at least once every four years, the proportion of the moneys collected from the tax which is on marine fuels.  The rate is currently set at 1.139 percent.  The marine fuel tax refund account is funded on a monthly basis, according to this rate.

The recreation resource account is funded from the marine fuel tax refund account.   This account pays for the administrative and coordinative costs of the Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation.  Additional funds are split into two shares for the benefit of watercraft recreation in the state.  The first share is used to provide grants to state agencies for the acquisition or capital improvement to marine recreation land.  Such grants may be used to secure matching funds from federal programs which are dedicated to similar projects.  The second share is used to provide grants to public bodies for the acquisition or capital improvements to marine recreation land.  A public body may use grants along with its own funds in order to secure federal matching funds for such projects.  "Public body" is defined to include counties, cities, towns, port districts, park and recreation districts, other municipal corporations, and Indian tribes recognized by the federal government for participation in the land and water conservation program. 

Summary of Substitute Bill:

Moneys from the recreation resource account granted to state agencies or public bodies for the capital improvement of marine recreation land may be used additionally for renovation.  Such renovation may include necessary periodic dredging to maintain or make a facility more useful.  "Periodic dredging" is defined, limiting such dredging activities to the removal of materials that have been deposited due to unforseen events, and that should extend the life of the facility for at least five years.

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill: The substitute bill adds a new section which defines the term "periodic dredging."  This only includes the removal of materials that have been deposited due to unforseen events, and should extend the life of the facility for at least five years.   

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Requested on February 19, 1999.

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

Testimony For: (Original bill)  Money from this account may be used to acquire and to improve recreation facilities, but it cannot be used to perform maintenance.  Usually the general fund is used to perform maintenance-type work, but the general fund may not always be available for this kind of work.  There is no point in building a boat launch if you can't launch a boat from it.  We need to be able to periodically dredge the facilities we are acquiring and building. 

Testimony Against: None. 

Testified:  Representative Jim Buck, prime sponsor.