FINAL BILL REPORT

HB 2450

C 145 L 02

Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description:  Updating the Washington trade center act to authorize electronic commerce activities.

Sponsors:  By Representatives Hatfield, Dunshee, DeBolt, Jarrett and Anderson.

House Committee on Local Government & Housing

Senate Committee on Agriculture & International Trade

Background:

The Port districts are authorized to establish trade centers.  The Trade Center Act was created in 1989 to provide port districts and the Washington Public Ports Association (WPPA) with additional powers to provide trade centers and to promote and encourage trade, tourism, travel and economic development in a coordinated and efficient manner through the ports of the state.  Specifically, port districts and the WPPA are given the power to operate and maintain all land or other property interests necessary to provide a trade center.

A trade center is a facility consisting of areas for centralized accommodation of public and private agencies, persons, and facilities in order to afford improved service to waterborne and airborne import and export trade and commerce and all the related functions and activities.

Additionally, port districts and the WPPA are authorized to cooperate and act jointly with other public and private agencies, including but not limited to the federal government, the state, other ports, other states, and private nonprofit trade promotion groups and associate development organizations.

Summary:

This power to establish trade centers is expanded in two ways.  First, ports may participate in transactions necessary to provide electronic or other facilities of a trade center or to exercise powers or purposes of a trade center.  The term transaction is specifically defined as having the same meaning as in the Federal Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (Title 15 U.S.C. Sec. 7006 (13)):

An action or set of actions relating to the conduct of business, consumer, or commercial affairs between two or more persons, including any of the following types of conduct:

(A) the sale, lease, exchange, licensing, or other disposition of (i) personal property, including goods and intangibles, (ii) services, and (iii) any combination thereof; and

(B) the sale, lease, exchange, or other disposition of any interest in real property, or any combination thereof.

Second, port districts and the WPPA are authorized to invest jointly with public and private agencies and persons, including but not limited to the federal government, the state, other ports and municipal corporations, other states and their political subdivisions, and private nonprofit trade promotion groups and associate development organizations. 

Additionally, the term persons is specifically defined as having the same meaning as in the Federal Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (Title 15 U.S.C. Sec 7006 (8)):

An individual, corporation, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, limited liability company, association, joint venture, governmental agency, public corporation, or any other legal or commercial entity.

Votes on Final Passage:

House960

Senate440

Effective:  June 13, 2002