H-3867.1 _______________________________________________
HOUSE BILL 2870
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State of Washington 57th Legislature 2002 Regular Session
By Representatives Orcutt, Morell and Doumit
Read first time 01/30/2002. Referred to Committee on Natural Resources.
AN ACT Relating to laws from other states acting as a barrier to timber supply; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The department of natural resources must review the laws of other western states within the United States that preclude or limit the ability of Washington wood processors to purchase timber from those states for processing in Washington. The department will meet and discuss with representatives of in-state wood processors and labor to assess the impact these laws may have on Washington mills and jobs. The department will submit a report to the appropriate legislative committees by December 1, 2002, that includes:
(1) Any data regarding the number of bids that have been rejected by Washington mills by those states because of the exclusionary laws;
(2) An estimate of the number of mills that would bid on timber from those states;
(3) An estimate of any expansions that might occur, or layoffs that may be prevented, for mills in Washington if those companies could bid on the timber from those states;
(4) An estimate of the additional tax revenues that would derive to Washington state and its counties if mills in Washington could bid on that timber; and
(5) Any recommendations regarding how these barriers to interstate commerce may be removed, including the creation of interstate compacts, the adoption of reciprocal language in Washington that applies only to those states that have erected and maintained such barriers, and the filing of a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of those state barriers.
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