Title: An act relating to the board of pilotage commissioners' training program.

Brief Description: Funding the board of pilotage commissioners' training program.

Sponsors: Senate Committee on Transportation (originally sponsored by Senator Haugen).

Brief History:

Committee Activity: Transportation: 01/30/06, 1/30/06 [DPS].

Passed Senate: 2/8/06, 47-0.

SENATE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION

Majority Report: That Substitute Senate Bill No. 6870 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.Signed by Senators Haugen, Chair; Jacobsen, Vice Chair; Benson, Ranking Minority Member; Benton, Berkey, Eide, Esser, Finkbeiner, Mulliken, Oke, Sheldon, Spanel and Weinstein.

Staff: Dory On (786-7321)

Background: To protect marine environments, and prevent loss of human lives and damage to property, Washington established compulsory pilotage provisions related to vessels in certain state waters. The Board of Pilotage Commissioners (Board) administers the pilotage provisions. Among the Board's responsibilities is the establishment of a comprehensive training program to assist in the training and evaluation of pilot applicants before final licensing. In furtherance of its duties, the Board created a pilotage training program. According to the rules promulgated by the Board, trainees enrolled in the pilotage training program may receive a monthly stipend, and pilot training surcharges are collected for each vessel assignment to fund the trainee stipends.

No agency may expend funds in excess of the amount appropriated by law for a particular purpose. The Office of Financial Management (OFM) is responsible for managing the cash flow of public funds.

Summary of Bill: The authority of the Board to pay stipends to the trainees enrolled in the pilotage training program is clarified. The clarification of the Board's authority is retroactively effective to December 1, 2005. The amount of the Board's current appropriation is increased by $600,000. Of the additional appropriation, $500,000 is restricted to stipend payments to trainees participating in the pilotage training program.

Appropriation: Six hundred thousand dollars is appropriated from the pilotage account to the Board of Pilotage Commissioners.

Fiscal Note: Available.

Committee/Commission/Task Force Created: No.

Effective Date: The bill contains an emergency clause and takes effect immediately.

Testimony For: None.

Testimony Against: None.

Testimony Other: The pilotage training program established by the Board of Pilotage Commissioners is already underway, and pilotage training surcharges are already being collected at levels sufficient to cover stipend payments to trainees.

Who Testified: OTHER: Robin Rettew, Office of Financial Management.