SENATE BILL REPORT

SHB 1213

As Reported By Senate Committee On:

Government Operations & Elections, April 2, 2003

Title: An act relating to the elimination of boards and commissions.

Brief Description: Eliminating boards and commissions.

Sponsors: House Committee on State Government (originally sponsored by Representatives Haigh, Armstrong, Morris, Hatfield, Linville, Ruderman and Rockefeller; by request of Governor Locke).

Brief History:

Committee Activity: Government Operations & Elections: 3/21/03, 4/2/03 [DPA].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS & ELECTIONS

Majority Report: Do pass as amended.

      Signed by Senators Roach, Chair; Stevens, Vice Chair; Kastama and McCaslin.

Staff: Ronda Larson (786-7429)

Background: The Governor and the Office of Financial Management are required to review state boards and commissions. In every odd-numbered year, they must recommend to the Legislature which boards and commissions should be terminated or consolidated. During the 1995-1997 biennium, Washington had 381 boards and commissions. A few years earlier, during the 1991-1993 biennium, Washington had 569. The Legislature abolished 33 boards and commissions in 1999 and abolished seven in 2001.

Summary of Amended Bill: The following nine boards, councils, committees and commissions are abolished and their responsibilities are terminated:

•    Health Care Policy Technical Advisory Committee (within the Health Care Authority): Advises the Health Care Authority on effective approaches to cost control, quality assurance, and access to health care.

•    Governor's Small Business Improvement Council (within the Office of the Governor): Identifies regulatory, administrative, and legislative proposals that will improve the entrepreneurial environment for small businesses.

•    Rebuilding Families Advisory Committee (within the Department of Corrections): Provides community involvement in the planning, development, and implementation of programs at the Washington Corrections Center for Women.

•    Independent Living Advisory Committee (within the Department of Services for the Blind): Provides guidance and direction to the Department of Services for the Blind's Independent Living Program.

•    Ocean Spot Shrimp Emerging Fishery Advisory Board (within the Department of Fish and Wildlife): Helps construct options for limiting fishery participation/efforts and provides recommendations.

•    Water Trail Advisory Committee (within the Parks and Recreation Commission): Assists and advises the Parks and Recreation Commission in the development of water trail facilities and programs.

•    Community Outdoor Athletic Fields Advisory Council (within the Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation): Provides information and make recommendations to the Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation on the award of funds from the Youth Athletic Facility grant account.

•    Arthritis Advisory Group (within the Department of Health): Required as part of a two-year arthritis planning grant funded by the Center for Disease Control. Develops and helps implement a Washington arthritis action plan.

•    Committee on Taxation and Advisory Group to the Committee on Taxation (within the Legislature): Determined how well the current tax system functions. Presented final report of its findings and alternatives to the Ways and Means Committee in the Senate and the Finance Committee in the House on November 30, 2002.

Amended Bill Compared to Substitute Bill: The amended substitute retains the Firearms Range Advisory Committee, whereas the original substitute eliminated it.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Not requested.

Effective Date: The bill contains an emergency clause and takes effect on July 1, 2003.

Testimony For: (original substitute bill) The Health Care Policy Technical Advisory Committee has not been in operation for the last couple of years. The Governor's Small Business Improvement Council is duplicative because the Governor's office has another business improvement council whose scope includes small business. The Rebuilding Families Advisory Committee has functions that could be done on an ad hoc basis. The Independent Living Advisory Committee is redundant because the Department of Social and Health Services has a council that covers the same type of subjects and it could absorb the additional duties. The Ocean Spot Shrimp Emerging Fishery Advisory Board has completed its work. The Firearms Range Advisory Committee is dependent upon sporadic funding from a grant program, so the Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation could instead accomplish the same duties by forming a broad-based committee each time grant money becomes available. The Water Trail Advisory Committee's work could be done by trail user groups. Funds for the Community Outdoor Athletic Fields Advisory Council have been depleted and the committee has not met for a few years. The federal funding for the Arthritis Advisory Group is no longer available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Committee on Taxation and Advisory Group to the Committee on Taxation has completed its duties.

Testimony Against: None.

Testified: PRO: Chris Rose, Governor's Executive Policy Committee.