BILL REQ. #:  H-4952.1 

READ FIRST TIME 02/03/06.   

     AN ACT Relating to the establishment of a blue ribbon growth management needs and priorities task force; creating a new section; and providing an expiration date.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   (1)(a) A blue ribbon growth management needs and priorities task force is established to provide the governor and the legislature with an analysis of how the growth management act has worked in meeting the goals and requirements set forth in chapter 36.70A RCW and to provide recommendations on how it can be improved to ensure meeting those goals. The task force shall be comprised of members as provided in this subsection.
     (i) The chairs and ranking minority members of the senate government operations and elections committee and senate transportation committee, or their elected official designees.
     (ii) The chairs and ranking minority members of the house of representatives local government committee and house of representatives capital budget committee, or their elected official designees.
     (iii) The president, board chairperson, or nonstaff person appointed by each of the following organizations: Washington state association of counties, association of Washington cities, association of Washington business, Washington environmental council, building industry association of Washington, Futurewise, Washington state farm bureau, Washington league of women voters, and a representative of the University of Washington's school of public policy.
     (iv) Advisory committees may be established as appropriate to provide the task force with perspectives from public, private, and academic organizations.
     (b) In addition, the task force shall retain the services of an independent fact-finder to assemble, analyze, and present information for its consideration in response to tasks specified in subsection (2)(a) through (d) of this section.
     (c) The task force shall convene its first meeting no later than June 1, 2006, and shall choose two cochairs from among its legislative membership. The task force shall submit an interim report to the governor and legislature not later than November 1, 2006, which shall contain, at minimum, the findings to date of the independent fact-finder. The task force shall submit its final report and recommendations for legislative changes, if any, to the governor and the legislature not later than December 1, 2007.
     (2) The task force shall retain the services of an independent fact-finder for the purpose of gathering, analyzing, and reporting information on the positive and controversial aspects of implementing the growth management act. The task force shall initially focus its work and analysis on the following topics and in the following order:
     (a) How best to adequately protect environmentally sensitive lands from adverse impacts resulting from new development. This topic shall include the consideration of how state and local governments should best find, consider, and apply the pertinent best available science when developing and implementing land use regulations applicable to new or redeveloped uses on environmentally sensitive lands;
     (b) How best to ensure that the levels of service provided by state highways do not fall below acceptable levels due to growth and development occurring adjacent to or nearby such highways;
     (c) How best to provide counties, cities, towns, school districts, water-sewer districts, and fire districts with the fiscal and planning tools necessary to meet their collective obligations to accommodate state growth projections developed pursuant to RCW 43.62.035; and
     (d) Conduct such other studies or tasks as time and resources allow.
     (3) The task force, when appropriate, may consult with individuals from the public and private sectors or ask those individuals to establish one or more advisory committees. Members of these advisory committees are not entitled to expense reimbursement.
     (4) The task force may contract with additional persons who have specific technical expertise if that expertise is necessary to carry out the provisions of this section. Such a contract may be entered into only if an appropriation is specifically provided for in the operations of the task force.
     (5) Staff support for the task force shall be provided by the senate committee services, the house of representatives office of program research, the department of community, trade, and economic development, and the office of financial management.
     (6) Legislative members of the task force shall be reimbursed for travel expenses in accordance with RCW 44.04.120. Nonlegislative members, except those representing an employer or organization, are entitled to be reimbursed for travel expenses in accordance with RCW 43.03.050 and 43.03.060.
     (7) Except as provided in subsection (4) of this section, the expenses of the task force shall be paid jointly by the senate and the house of representatives. Task force expenditures are subject to approval by the senate facilities and operations committee and the house executive rules committee, or their successor committees.
     (8) This section expires June 30, 2008.