Title: An act relating to exchange of state lands.

Brief Description: Allowing the department of natural resources to exchange certain state lands.

Sponsors: Senators Jacobsen, Doumit, and Rockefeller; by request of Department of Natural Resources.

Brief History:

Committee Activity: Natural Resources, Ocean & Recreation: 1/11/06, 1/25/06 [DPS-WM].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES, OCEAN & RECREATION

Majority Report: That Substitute Senate Bill No. 6180 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass and be referred to Committee on Ways & Means.Signed by Senators Jacobsen, Chair; Doumit, Vice Chair; Oke, Ranking Minority Member; Fraser, Hargrove, Morton, Stevens and Swecker.

Staff: Vic Moon (786-7469)

Background: A budget proviso gave the Department of Natural Resources the authority to recover land transaction costs for land exchanges. The proviso expired on June 30, 2005, and transaction costs could no longer be recovered from the transaction itself. The proviso had no impact on either the Resource Management Cost Account or the Forest Development Account.

Summary of Substitute Bill: Up to 5 percent of the income from a land transaction could be used to cover the cost of the sale or exchange.

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill: Grazing and Agricultural lands are added to the provision that states the land base may not be intentionally reduced.

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 bill makes permanent a budget proviso which has helped the Department of Natural Resources sell and exchange state trust lands.

Testimony Against: None.

Who Testified: PRO: Howard Thronson, Department of Natural Resources; Jack Fields, Washington Cattlemen's Association.