BILL REQ. #:  H-2818.1 

Read first time 04/23/2003.   Referred to Committee on Finance.

     TO THE HONORABLE GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED:
     We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:
     WHEREAS, For many years western states have grappled with the challenge of providing the best education for their citizens; and
     WHEREAS, Western states face unique challenges in achieving this goal; and
     WHEREAS, From 1979 to 1998 the percent change in expenditures per pupil in 13 western states was 28 percent, compared to 57 percent in the remaining states; and
     WHEREAS, In 2000-01, the pupil per teacher ratio in 13 western states averaged 17.9 percent to one compared with 14.8 percent to one in the remaining states; and
     WHEREAS, The conditions in western states are exacerbated by projections that enrollment will increase by an average of 7.1 percent, compared to an average decrease of 2.6 percent in the rest of the nation; and
     WHEREAS, Despite the wide disparities in expenditures per pupil and pupil per teacher ratio, western states tax at a comparable rate and allocate as much of their budgets to public education as the rest of the nation; and
     WHEREAS, The ability of western states to fund education is directly related to federal ownership of state lands; and
     WHEREAS, The federal government owns an average of 51.9 percent of the land in 13 western states, compared to 4.1 percent in the remaining states; and
     WHEREAS, The enabling acts of most western states promise that 5 percent of the proceeds from the sale of federal lands will go to the states for public education; and
     WHEREAS, A federal policy change in 1976 ended these sales resulting in an estimated 14 billion dollars in lost public education funding for western states; and
     WHEREAS, The ability of western states to fund public education is further impacted by the fact that state and local property taxes, which public education relies heavily upon to fund education, cannot be assessed on federal lands; and
     WHEREAS, The estimated annual impact of this property tax prohibition on western states is over 4 billion dollars; and
     WHEREAS, The federal government shares only half of its royalty revenue with the states; and
     WHEREAS, Royalties are further reduced because federal lands are less likely to be developed and federal laws often place stipulations on the use of state royalty payments; and
     WHEREAS, The estimated annual impact of royalty payment policies on western states is over 1.86 billion dollars; and
     WHEREAS, Much of the land that the federal government transferred to states upon statehood as a trust for public education is difficult to administer and to make productive because it is surrounded by federal land; and
     WHEREAS, Federal land ownership greatly hinders the ability of western states to fund public education; and
     WHEREAS, The federal government should compensate western states for the significant impact federal land ownership has on the ability of western states to educate its citizens; and
     WHEREAS, Just compensation will allow western states to be on equal footing with the rest of the nation in their efforts to provide education for their citizens;
     NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that the United States Congress appropriate just compensation to the state of Washington for the impact of federal land ownership on the state's ability to fund public education.
     BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable George W. Bush, President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.