FINAL BILL REPORT

SHB 1166

C 210 L 02

Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description:  Allowing state agencies to sponsor salmon recovery projects.

Sponsors:  By House Committee on Natural Resources (originally sponsored by Representatives Rockefeller, Buck, Doumit, Pennington and Edwards; by request of Salmon Recovery Funding Board).

House Committee on Natural Resources

Senate Committee on Natural Resources, Parks & Shorelines

Background:

The Salmon Recovery Funding Board provides funding for habitat projects in accordance with a process established by the Legislature.  To obtain funding from the board, the counties, cities, and tribal governments must jointly designate a lead entity for the area from which a habitat project list will be developed.  The lead entity is responsible for: (1) creating a committee to compile a list of habitat projects; (2) ranking the projects; (3) defining the sequence for project implementation; and (4) submitting the results of this effort to the lead entity as the habitat project list.  The lead entity submits the habitat project list to the technical review team associated with the board so that the projects can be analyzed and ranked.

When developing the habitat project list, the committee must utilize a critical pathways methodology.  As part of the critical pathways methodology, local habitat projects must be identified that sponsors are willing to undertake.  Each project must have a written agreement from the landowner on which the project is to be implemented.  Project sponsors are responsible, in consultation with the landowner and the technical advisory group, for identifying how the projects will be monitored and evaluated.  The board is directed to give a preference to projects that will be implemented by a project sponsor with a successful record of project implementation.

A project sponsor may be one of the following: (1) county; (2) city; (3) special district tribal government; (4) a combination of such governments through an interlocal agreement; (5) nonprofit organization; or (6) one or more private citizens.

Summary:

State agencies and regional fisheries enhancement groups are authorized to act as a project sponsor for purposes of obtaining salmon habitat project funding from the Salmon Recovery Funding Board.  A state agency sponsored project may be funded only if it is included on the habitat project list submitted by the lead entity for the area.  The state agency must also have a local partner for the project that would otherwise qualify as a project sponsor.

Votes on Final Passage:

House960

Senate470(Senate amended)

House940(House concurred)

Effective:  June 13, 2002