S-0259.1  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 5073

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      56th Legislature     1999 Regular Session

By Senators Morton and Hochstatter

Read first time 01/11/1999.  Referred to Committee on Natural Resources, Parks & Recreation.

Increasing the acreage of land granted to the state that is subject to sale in one parcel.

    AN ACT Relating to the sale of land granted to the state by the United States; and amending RCW 79.01.096.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

    Sec. 1.  RCW 79.01.096 and 1982 c 54 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

    Not more than one hundred and sixty acres of any land granted to the state by the United States shall be offered for sale in one parcel and no university lands shall be offered for sale except by legislative directive or with the consent of the board of regents of the University of Washington.

Beginning January 1, 1998, not more than six thousand four hundred acres of any land granted to the state by the United States may be offered for sale, transfer, trade, or exchange in one parcel except by explicit legislative directive.

    Any land granted to the state by the United States may be sold or leased for any lawful purpose in such minimum acreage as may be fixed by the department of natural resources.

    Except as otherwise provided in RCW 79.01.770, upon the application of a school district or any institution of higher education for the purchase or lease of lands granted to the state by the United States, the department of natural resources may offer such land for sale or lease to such school district or institution of higher education in such acreage as it may determine, consideration being given upon application of a school district to school site criteria established by the state board of education:  PROVIDED, That in the event the department thereafter proposes to offer such land for sale or lease at public auction such school district or institution of higher education shall have a preference right for six months from notice of such proposal to purchase or lease such land at the appraised value determined by the board of natural resources.

    State lands shall not be leased for a longer period than ten years:  PROVIDED, That such lands may be leased for the purpose of prospecting for, developing and producing oil, gas and other hydrocarbon substances or for the mining of coal subject to the provisions of chapter 79.14 RCW and RCW 79.01.692.  Such lands may be leased for agricultural purposes for any period not to exceed twenty-five years except that such leases which authorize tree fruit and grape production may be for any period up to fifty-five years.  Such lands may be leased for public school, college or university purposes for any period not exceeding seventy-five years.  Such lands may be leased for commercial, industrial, business, or recreational purposes for any period not exceeding fifty-five years.  Such lands may be leased for residential purposes for any period not to exceed ninety-nine years.  If during the term of the lease of any state lands for agricultural, grazing, commercial, residential, business, or recreational purposes, in the opinion of the department it is in the best interest of the state so to do, the department may, on the application of the lessee and in agreement with the lessee, alter and amend the terms and conditions of such lease.  The sum total of the original lease term and any extension thereof shall not exceed the limits provided herein.

                            --- END ---