BILL REQ. #:  S-4227.1 

READ FIRST TIME 01/26/10.   

     AN ACT Relating to the stewardship of forest resources; amending RCW 76.44.030 and 43.79A.040; adding a new section to chapter 76.44 RCW; adding new sections to chapter 79A.25 RCW; and creating new sections.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature finds that there are many issues facing the forest sector, such as climate change, forest health and fire, carbon accounting, habitat and diversity, timber and water supplies, economic competitiveness, and the economic health of forest dependent communities. These forest issues, and the approaches taken to address them, transcend the expertise and missions of the current University of Washington school of forest resources and its centers and cooperatives. While each center and cooperative contributes important expertise and resources, the structure and continuity for the integrated, interdisciplinary approach to address these complex issues is lacking. The institute of forest resources will provide this structure and continuity by drawing contributions from the centers and cooperatives into a more consolidated, collaborative, interdisciplinary, and integrated process that is responsive to the critical issues confronting the forest sector.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   The director of the school of forest resources of the University of Washington must coordinate the existing school of forest resource's cooperatives and centers to promote a more holistic, efficient, and integrated approach to broaden its research program to address the issues facing the forest section.

Sec. 3   RCW 76.44.030 and 1979 c 50 s 5 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The institute of forest resources ((shall)) must pursue coordinated research and education related to the forest ((resource)) sector and its multiple uses including: Its conservation, ((management and utilization; its evaluation of forest land use and the maintenance of its rural environment)) sustainable management, and utilization; its economic, ecological, and societal value; the manufacture and marketing of forest products, including timber, nontimber, and environmental services; and the provision of recreation and aesthetic values.
     (2) The institute of forest resources must also seek to provide a framework to identify, prioritize, fund, and conduct interdisciplinary research critical to the forest sector and to develop integrated, synthesized information and decision support tools to improve understanding of these complex issues for policymakers and others.
     (3) In pursuit of these objectives, the institute of forest resources is authorized to cooperate with other entities, including, but not limited to, universities, state and federal agencies, industrial institutions, domestic or foreign, where such cooperation advances these objectives.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4   A new section is added to chapter 76.44 RCW to read as follows:
     The director of the school of forest resources of the University of Washington must appoint a policy advisory board consisting of eleven members to advise the director of the school of forest resources of the University of Washington on policies for the institute of forest resources that are consistent with the purposes of the institute. Membership on the policy advisory board must broadly represent the various interests concerned with the purposes of the institute of forest resources, including the state and federal governments, environmental organizations, local communities, the timber industry, and tribes.
     Members of the policy advisory committee must be compensated as provided in RCW 43.03.220 and must be reimbursed for travel expenses as provided in RCW 43.03.050 and 43.03.060.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 5   The institute of forest resources shall provide progress reports to the appropriate committees of the legislature by July 1, 2011, on the coordination required by section 2 of this act and the implementation of this act.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 6   A new section is added to chapter 79A.25 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The timber recovery fund board is created. The timber recovery fund board is composed of five members, of whom two members must be appointed by the governor. The commissioner of public lands, or the commissioner's designee, shall serve ex officio as a voting member of the timber recovery fund board. The director of the University of Washington school of forest resources and the dean of the Washington State University college of agriculture, human, and natural resource sciences, or their designees, shall serve as members of the timber recovery fund board. In making appointments to the timber recovery fund board, the governor shall ensure that one member each representing the interests of forest landowners and conservation interests are timber recovery fund board members at all times. The governor shall solicit and give substantial consideration to nominations provided by organizations representing these interests. Appointments to the timber recovery fund board by the governor are subject to senate confirmation.
     (2) The timber recovery fund board shall select a chair from among the members of the timber recovery fund board.
     (3) Timber recovery fund board members serve four-year terms, except that the governor shall designate one of the initial appointments to serve for a term of two years. The terms commence January 1, 2011.
     (4) Staff support to the timber recovery fund board must be provided by the recreation and conservation office. For administrative purposes, the timber recovery fund board shall be located within the office.
     (5) Members of the timber recovery fund board shall be compensated as provided by RCW 43.03.250, and reimbursed for travel expenses as provided by RCW 43.03.050 and 43.03.060.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 7   A new section is added to chapter 79A.25 RCW to read as follows:
     The recreation and conservation office shall provide necessary grants and loan administration support to the timber recovery fund board. The office shall provide necessary coordination with the institute of forest resources.
     When requested by the timber recovery fund board or the office, the institute of forest resources shall furnish assistance to the timber recovery fund board and the office for the analysis and review of proposed plans, activities, and projects.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 8   A new section is added to chapter 79A.25 RCW to read as follows:
     Subject to available resources, the timber recovery fund board is responsible for allocating grants and loans for the protection of working forest lands to projects and activities that include, but are not limited to, the following:
     (1) Projects and activities that will sustain the working forest land base and strengthen the connection between economic health and conservation of forests in Washington, such as forest health, providing carbon sequestration, production of wood-based biomass energy, protection of forest ecosystems, benefits for habitats, biodiversity, and watershed functions;
     (2) Projects and activities that preserve forest lands over the long term for working forestry and resist forest land conservation, such as land exchanges and transfer of development rights programs; and
     (3) Projects and activities for planning, research, and policy development related to maintaining working forests as well as for long-term sustainable supplies of timber products.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 9   A new section is added to chapter 79A.25 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The timber recovery fund board shall establish procedures and criteria consistent with section 8 of this act for making grants and loans for the protection of working forest lands. To accomplish this purpose, the timber recovery fund board may:
     (a) Provide assistance to grant applicants regarding the procedures and criteria for grant and loan awards;
     (b) Make and execute all manner of contracts and agreements with grant recipients, and with other public and private parties as the timber recovery fund board deems necessary, consistent with the purposes of sections 6 through 10 of this act;
     (c) Accept any gifts, grants, or loans of funds, property, or financial or other aid in any form from any other source on any terms that are not in conflict with sections 6 through 10 of this act;
     (d) Adopt rules under chapter 34.05 RCW as necessary to carry out the purposes of sections 6 through 10 of this act; and
     (e) Do all acts necessary or convenient to carry out the powers expressly granted or implied under sections 6 through 10 of this act.
     (2) The recreation and conservation office shall provide all necessary grant and loan administration assistance to the timber recovery fund board and shall distribute and account for funds appropriated or provided to the timber recovery fund board for the purposes of sections 6 through 10 of this act.
     (3) The timber recovery fund board shall adopt guidelines for the amount of nonstate resources that must be committed for grants from the categories established by the timber recovery fund board.
     (4) The timber recovery fund board shall adopt guidelines that limit the amount of a grant or loan that may be allocated to those administrative or other expenses of a grant or loan recipient not directly applied to maintaining Washington's working forest land base.
     (5) In order to fund as many projects and activities as possible, the timber recovery fund board shall establish goals to encourage loan applications and to maximize the amount of funds awarded in the form of low-interest loans. Only local governments are eligible for low-interest loans awarded by the timber recovery fund board.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 10   A new section is added to chapter 79A.25 RCW to read as follows:
     The timber recovery fund board account is created in the state treasury. The recreation and conservation office may receive gifts, grants, or endowments from public and private sources that are made from time to time, in trust or otherwise, for the use and benefit of the purposes of sections 6 through 10 of this act and spend gifts, grants, or endowments or income from the public or private sources according to their terms, unless the receipt of the gifts, grants, or endowments violates RCW 42.17.710.
     Any funds appropriated by the legislature for distribution by the timber recovery fund board, repayments of principal and interest on loans extended by the timber recovery fund board, or other public or private funds provided for distribution by the timber recovery fund board must be placed in the account. Grants, gifts, or other financial assistance, proceeds received from public bodies as administrative cost contributions, and moneys made available to the state of Washington by the federal government may be deposited into the account.
     Only the timber recovery fund board may authorize expenditures from the account. The account is subject to allotment procedures under chapter 43.88 RCW, but an appropriation is not required for expenditures. Moneys in the account may be used for administrative expenses of the timber recovery fund board and the recreation and conservation office.

Sec. 11   RCW 43.79A.040 and 2009 c 87 s 4 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) Money in the treasurer's trust fund may be deposited, invested, and reinvested by the state treasurer in accordance with RCW 43.84.080 in the same manner and to the same extent as if the money were in the state treasury.
     (2) All income received from investment of the treasurer's trust fund shall be set aside in an account in the treasury trust fund to be known as the investment income account.
     (3) The investment income account may be utilized for the payment of purchased banking services on behalf of treasurer's trust funds including, but not limited to, depository, safekeeping, and disbursement functions for the state treasurer or affected state agencies. The investment income account is subject in all respects to chapter 43.88 RCW, but no appropriation is required for payments to financial institutions. Payments shall occur prior to distribution of earnings set forth in subsection (4) of this section.
     (4)(a) Monthly, the state treasurer shall distribute the earnings credited to the investment income account to the state general fund except under (b) and (c) of this subsection.
     (b) The following accounts and funds shall receive their proportionate share of earnings based upon each account's or fund's average daily balance for the period: The Washington promise scholarship account, the college savings program account, the Washington advanced college tuition payment program account, the agricultural local fund, the American Indian scholarship endowment fund, the foster care scholarship endowment fund, the foster care endowed scholarship trust fund, the students with dependents grant account, the basic health plan self-insurance reserve account, the contract harvesting revolving account, the Washington state combined fund drive account, the commemorative works account, the Washington international exchange scholarship endowment fund, the toll collection account, the developmental disabilities endowment trust fund, the energy account, the fair fund, the family leave insurance account, the food animal veterinarian conditional scholarship account, the fruit and vegetable inspection account, the future teachers conditional scholarship account, the game farm alternative account, the GET ready for math and science scholarship account, the grain inspection revolving fund, the juvenile accountability incentive account, the law enforcement officers' and firefighters' plan 2 expense fund, the local tourism promotion account, the pilotage account, the produce railcar pool account, the regional transportation investment district account, the rural rehabilitation account, the stadium and exhibition center account, the youth athletic facility account, the self-insurance revolving fund, the sulfur dioxide abatement account, the children's trust fund, the Washington horse racing commission Washington bred owners' bonus fund and breeder awards account, the Washington horse racing commission class C purse fund account, the individual development account program account, the Washington horse racing commission operating account (earnings from the Washington horse racing commission operating account must be credited to the Washington horse racing commission class C purse fund account), the life sciences discovery fund, the Washington state heritage center account, the reduced cigarette ignition propensity account, ((and)) the reading achievement account, and the timber recovery fund board account. However, the earnings to be distributed shall first be reduced by the allocation to the state treasurer's service fund pursuant to RCW 43.08.190.
     (c) The following accounts and funds shall receive eighty percent of their proportionate share of earnings based upon each account's or fund's average daily balance for the period: The advanced right-of-way revolving fund, the advanced environmental mitigation revolving account, the city and county advance right-of-way revolving fund, the federal narcotics asset forfeitures account, the high occupancy vehicle account, the local rail service assistance account, and the miscellaneous transportation programs account.
     (5) In conformance with Article II, section 37 of the state Constitution, no trust accounts or funds shall be allocated earnings without the specific affirmative directive of this section.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 12   The code reviser is directed to alphabetize the accounts listed in RCW 43.79A.040(4)(b) by their common name.