BILL REQ. #:  S-4450.1 

READ FIRST TIME 02/11/14.   

     AN ACT Relating to payments to counties in lieu of property taxes by the department of fish and wildlife; amending RCW 77.12.203; repealing RCW 77.12.201; and providing an effective date.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 77.12.203 and 2013 2nd sp.s. c 4 s 999 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) ((Except as provided in subsection (5) of this section)) The state treasurer must, on behalf of the department and notwithstanding RCW 84.36.010 or other statutes to the contrary, ((the director shall pay)) distribute by April 30th of each year on game lands in each county((, if requested by an election under RCW 77.12.201,)) an amount in lieu of real property taxes equal to that amount paid on similar parcels of open space land taxable under chapter 84.34 RCW ((or the greater of seventy cents per acre per year or the amount paid in 1984)) except taxes levied for any state purpose, plus an additional amount for control of noxious weeds equal to that which would be paid if such lands were privately owned. This amount ((shall)) may not be assessed or paid on department buildings, structures, facilities, game farms, fish hatcheries, water access sites, tidelands, or public fishing areas ((of less than one hundred acres)). The department must provide all relevant information to the state treasurer for each county receiving an amount in lieu of real property taxes including but not limited to the amount of acres eligible, the open space rate to be applied, and the additional amount for control of noxious weeds.
     (2) "Game lands," as used in this section ((and RCW 77.12.201)), means those tracts ((one hundred acres or larger)), regardless of acreage, owned in fee by the department and used for wildlife habitat and public recreational purposes. All lands purchased for wildlife habitat, public access, or recreation purposes with federal funds in the Snake River drainage basin ((shall be)) are considered game lands regardless of acreage.
     (3) This section ((shall)) does not apply to lands transferred after April 23, 1990, to the department from other state agencies.
     (4) The county ((shall)) must distribute the amount received under this section in lieu of real property taxes to all property taxing districts except the state in appropriate tax code areas the same way it would distribute local property taxes from private property. The county shall distribute the amount received under this section for weed control to the appropriate weed district.
     (((5) For the 2011-2013 and 2013-2015 fiscal biennia, the director shall pay by April 30th of each year on game lands in each county, if requested by an election under RCW 77.12.201, an amount in lieu of real property taxes and shall be distributed as follows:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   RCW 77.12.201 (Counties may elect to receive an amount in lieu of taxes -- County to record collections for violations of law or rules -- Deposit) and 2013 2nd sp.s. c 4 s 998, 2012 2nd sp.s. c 7 s 923, 2009 c 479 s 63, & 1987 c 506 s 29 are each repealed.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   This act takes effect July 1, 2015.