Title: An act relating to military department accounts.

Brief Description: Creating the military department capital account and rental and lease account.

Sponsors: Senators Rasmussen, Roach, Shin, Jacobsen, Delvin, Carrell, Rockefeller, Fraser, Franklin, Kastama, Regala and Pridemore; by request of Military Department.

Brief History:

Committee Activity: Ways & Means: 2/21/05, 2/22/05 [DP].

Passed Senate: 3/14/05, 48-0.

SENATE COMMITTEE ON WAYS & MEANS

Majority Report: Do pass.Signed by Senators Prentice, Chair; Doumit, Vice Chair; Fraser, Vice Chair; Zarelli, Ranking Minority Member; Brandland, Fairley, Hewitt, Kohl-Welles, Parlette, Pridemore, Rasmussen, Regala, Roach, Rockefeller, Schoesler and Thibaudeau.

Staff: Paula Faas (786-7449)

Background: The Military Department manages thirty-eight readiness centers, also known as armories, throughout the state. Thirty-three are operational, and approximately half are over fifty years old.

Readiness centers are used for primarily national guard training, administration, and storage. The department may receive income from the lease of rental of these facilities. The income is deposited into the general fund.

Federal law permits states to rent out armories if the state uses the income received to support maintenance of the armories.

Summary of Bill: The Military Department Capital Account and the Military Department Rental and Lease Account are established in the state treasury.

All receipts from the sale of state-owned military department property will be deposited into the Military Department Capital Account. Funds in the account are subject to appropriation and are to be spent only on military department capital projects.

All receipts from the rental or lease of state-owned military department property will be deposited into the Military Department Rental and Lease Account. Funds in the account are subject to appropriation and are to be spent only on operating and maintenance costs of military property.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

Committee/Commission/Task Force Created: No.

Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For: The federal government provides capital funding for meeting national guard training requirements, conditional upon congressional approval and a state funding match. Money dedicated within the military capital account would be leveraged by the federal congressional delegation to secure future capital investments for new readiness centers. Federal and state funding has not met the maintenance needs of readiness centers in Washington State. The money provided by this bill will take the pressure off use of state bond dollars to maintain aging facilities. No new appropriations are being sought. The legislature would maintain control over the sites being divested.

Testimony Against: None.

Who Testified: PRO: Major General Lowenberg and Brigadier General Toney, Washington State Military Department.