SENATE BILL REPORT

                  SHB 1251

              As Reported By Senate Committee On:

           State & Local Government, March 25, 1999

Title:  An act relating to the elimination and consolidation of boards, commissions, and programs.

Brief Description:  Eliminating and consolidating boards, commissions, and programs.

Sponsors:  House Committee on State Government (originally sponsored by Representatives Miloscia, Ericksen, O'Brien, Cooper, D. Schmidt, Bush, Esser, Kessler, Poulsen, McIntire, Lambert, H. Sommers, Wood, Conway, Rockefeller, Fortunato and Lantz; by request of Governor Locke).

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  State & Local Government:  3/25/99 [DP].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON STATE & LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Majority Report:  Do pass.

  Signed by Senators Patterson, Chair; Gardner, Vice Chair; Haugen, Horn, Kline and McCaslin.

Staff:  Diane Smith (786-7410)

Background:  The Governor and the Office of Financial Management (OFM) are required to review state boards and commissions, and in every odd-numbered year submit to the Legislature a recommended list of boards and commissions to be terminated or consolidated.  During the 1995-1997 biennium, Washington had 381 boards and commissions, down from a high of 569 during the 1991-1993 biennium.  Each board or commission operates in conjunction with and reports to a particular state agency or to the Governor's office.

Summary of Bill:  Thirty-three boards, commissions, and committees are either repealed or abolished.  These are the Health Care Assistants Advisory Committee, Dieticians and Nutritionists Advisory Committee, Health Professions Advisory Committee, Washington State Council on Vocational Education, Public Pension Commission, Public Information Access Policy Task Force, Rural Development Council, Tax Advisory Council, Advisory Council on Criminal Justice Services, Senior Environmental Corps Coordinating Council, Washington Conservation Corps Coordinating Council, Clean Washington Center Policy Board, Puget Sound Trawl Emerging Fisheries Advisory Board, Scenic Rivers Committee of Participating Agencies, Lakes Health Plan Committee, Lower Columbia River Bi-State Steering Committee, the Business and Job Retention Advisory Committee, the Community Diversification Program Advisory Committee, and the Community Networks Committees.

In addition, three advisory review boards from the Department of Fish and Wildlife are abolished, Nine advisory and search committees advising the Department of Corrections are abolished, and the Athlete Agent Regulatory Program is abolished.

The regulation requiring debt adjusters to be licensed by the state is abolished, and transfers authority for inspection and investigation of debt adjusters to the office of the attorney general.

The Secretary of the Department of Health is required to keep a list of contacts from regulated health care professions for policy advice and information dissemination.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date:  The bill contains an emergency clause and takes effect July 1, 1999.

Testimony For:  This is a statutory clean-up bill that should save some money.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Fred Hellberg, Governor=s Office (pro).