Title: An act relating to reaffirming the role of the state conservation commission.

Brief Summary of Substitute Bill

• Moves statutes relating to the establishment and operation of the Conservation Commission (Commission) from the conservation districts statutes to the statutory title related to state agencies.

• Includes numerous procedural and technical revisions in Commission and conservation districts statutes.

Majority Report: The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass. Signed by 11 members: Representatives Linville, Chair; Rockefeller, Vice Chair; Schoesler, Ranking Minority Member; Holmquist, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Kristiansen, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Eickmeyer, Grant, Hunt, McDermott, Orcutt and Sump.

The Conservation Commission (Commission) is a state agency created in 1939. The Commission is governed by a 10-member board. The Commission's duties include assisting and guiding conservation districts in preparing and implementing resource conservation programs. The Commission provides informational and technical assistance to conservation districts throughout Washington. The Commission also recommends and administers funding, distributes funds to conservation districts, and reviews conservation district budgets and annual reports. In addition, the Commission appoints two of the five supervisors on each conservation district's board of supervisors.

Statutes relating to the establishment and operation of the Conservation Commission (Commission) are moved from the conservation districts statutes (chapter 89.08 RCW) to the general statutory title related to state agencies (Title 43 RCW). Numerous technical revisions, including reorganizing statutory sections and subsections and revising language in existing provisions, are made to these statutes and to the conservation district statutes as they relate to the Commission.

The Commission is directed to establish procedures to use when making the determination whether a district is warranted and practicable. The Commission also must designate the initial terms for elected supervisors when the conservation district is divided into zones for purposes of elections.

Legislative intent provisions regarding watershed restoration projects are amended to reference the participation of the Commission and conservation districts in these efforts.

The substitute updates references and includes currently enacted versions of various statutory sections to reflect legislation enacted during the 2003 legislative session. The substitute removes various provisions requiring conservation districts to submit information to the Commission. The substitute also removes the requirement for the Commission to report on conservation district grants. Further, the substitute removes provisions for transfer of responsibility for payment of Commission travel expenses and includes some technical revisions.

Effective Date of Substitute Bill: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.