S-3596.1  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 6482

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      56th Legislature     2000 Regular Session

By Senators T. Sheldon, Swecker, Benton, Roach and Oke

Read first time 01/18/2000.  Referred to Committee on Ways & Means.

Requiring predesign review of capital projects to consider leasing space as an alternative.

    AN ACT Relating to capital projects; and adding a new section to chapter 39.04 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 39.04 RCW to read as follows:

    In the predesign phase of every capital project valued at two million dollars or more involving the construction, alteration, or improvement of a building used for office space or as a warehouse, the predesign document shall include but not be limited to program, site, and cost analysis in accordance with the predesign manual adopted by the office of financial management and shall include evaluation of cost savings that would be realized by leasing comparable space.  No additional funds may be expended until the office of financial management has reviewed and approved the agency's predesign and other documents and approved an allotment for the project.  To improve monitoring of such capital construction projects, progress reports shall be submitted by the agency administering the project to the office of financial management and to the fiscal committees of the house of representatives and senate.  Reports shall be submitted on July 1st and December 31st each year in a format to be developed by the office of financial management.

    Allotments for appropriations shall be provided in accordance with the capital project review requirements adopted by the office of financial management.  The office of financial management shall notify the house of representatives capital budget committee and the senate ways and means committee of allotment releases based on review by the office of financial management.  No expenditure may be incurred or obligation entered into for appropriations referring to this section until the allotment of the funds to be expended has been approved by the office of financial management.  Projects that will be employing alternative public works construction procedures, under chapter 39.10 RCW, are subject to the allotment procedures defined in this section and RCW 43.88.110.  Contracts shall not be executed that call for expenditures in excess of the approved allotment, and the total amount shown in such contracts for the cost of future work that has not been appropriated shall not exceed the amount identified for such work in the level of funding approved by the office of financial management at the completion of predesign.

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