BILL REQ. #:  H-4612.1 

READ FIRST TIME 01/27/06.   

     AN ACT Relating to exchange of state lands; and reenacting and amending RCW 79.17.010.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1   RCW 79.17.010 and 2003 1st sp.s. c 25 s 939 and 2003 c 334 s 452 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:
     (1) The department, with the approval of the board, may exchange any state land and any timber thereon for any land of equal value in order to:
     (a) Facilitate the marketing of forest products of state lands;
     (b) Consolidate and block-up state lands;
     (c) Acquire lands having commercial recreational leasing potential;
     (d) Acquire county-owned lands;
     (e) Acquire urban property which has greater income potential or which could be more efficiently managed by the department in exchange for state urban lands as defined in RCW 79.19.100; or
     (f) Acquire any other lands when such exchange is determined by the board to be in the best interest of the trust for which the state land is held.
     (2) Land exchanged under this section shall not be used to reduce the publicly owned forest land base.
     (3) The board shall determine that each land exchange is in the best interest of the trust for which the land is held prior to authorizing the land exchange.
     (4) ((During the biennium ending June 30, 2005, the department, with approval of the board, may exchange any state land and any timber thereon for any land and proceeds of equal value.)) When undertaking exchanges under this section, the department may receive land and proceeds in exchange for land of equal value. Proceeds may be in the form of cash or services in order to achieve the purposes established in this section. Any cash received as part of an exchange transaction shall be deposited in the resource management cost account to pay for administrative expenses incurred in carrying out an exchange transaction. The amount of proceeds received from the exchange partner may not exceed five percent of the total value of the exchange. The receipt of proceeds shall not change the character of the transaction from an exchange to a sale.