AN ACT Relating to managing Capitol lake as an estuarine environment; amending RCW 79.24.650, 79.24.700, and 79.24.720; and adding a new section to chapter 79.24 RCW.

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

Sec. 1.  RCW 79.24.650 and 1969 ex.s. c 272 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

The state capitol committee shall provide for the construction, remodeling, and furnishing of capitol office buildings, parking facilities, governor's mansion, the management, protection, preservation, and coordination of Capitol lake as an estuarine environment, and such other buildings and facilities as are determined by the state capitol committee to be necessary to provide space for the legislature by way of offices, committee rooms, hearing rooms, and work rooms, and to provide executive office space and housing for the governor, and to provide executive office space for other elective officials and such other state agencies as may be necessary, and to pay for all costs and expenses in issuing the bonds and to pay interest thereon during construction of the facilities for which the bonds were issued and six months thereafter.

Sec. 2.  RCW 79.24.700 and 2005 c 330 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

(1)(a) The legislature finds that the historic facilities of the Washington state capitol, including Capitol lake, are the most important public facilities in the state. They are a source of beauty and pride, a resource for celebrating our heritage and democratic ideals, and an exceptional educational resource. The public and historic facilities of the state capitol campus, including Capitol lake and the associated grounds, should be managed and maintained to the highest standards of excellence, model the best of historic preservation practice, and maximize opportunities for public access and enjoyment. Consistent with this objective, Capitol lake should be managed and maintained as an estuarine environment, in coordination with interests within the Deschutes watershed and Budd Inlet, to ensure that overall aesthetic, recreational, sediment management, and environmental benefits are achieved.

(2) The purpose of chapter 330, Laws of 2005 is to provide authority and direction for the care and stewardship of the public and historic facilities of the state capitol, to facilitate public access, use, and enjoyment of these assets, and to carefully preserve them for the benefit of future generations.

Sec. 3.  RCW 79.24.720 and 2015 c 225 s 124 are each amended to read as follows:

The department of enterprise services is responsible for the stewardship, preservation, operation, and maintenance of the public and historic facilities and grounds of the state capitol, subject to the policy direction of the state capitol committee and the guidance of the capitol campus design advisory committee. In administering this responsibility, the department shall:

(1) Apply the United States secretary of the interior's standards for the treatment of historic properties;

(2) Seek to balance the functional requirements of state government operations with public access and the long-term preservation needs of the properties themselves; ((and))

(3) Consult with the capitol furnishings preservation committee, the state historic preservation officer, the state arts commission, and the state facilities accessibility advisory committee in fulfilling the responsibilities provided for in this section; and

(b) Capitol lake must be comanaged by those Indian tribes with histories or traditions or customary uses relating to either the Deschutes river watershed, the historic Deschutes river estuary, Budd Inlet, or the area now occupied by the lake and its surrounding environment. This management role includes full participation with state agencies and other public entities in all decisions regarding the administration, maintenance, preservation, and uses of Capitol lake, including the transition of Capitol lake into an estuarine environment.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4.  A new section is added to chapter 79.24 RCW to read as follows:

(1) The department of enterprise services shall, on the effective date of this section, immediately begin planning for, and implementing, a transition for Capitol lake from a lake environment to an estuarine environment consistent with RCW 79.24.700 and 79.24.720.

(2) Beginning October 31, 2017, and by October 31st of each subsequent year, the department of enterprise services must issue a report to the legislature, consistent with RCW 43.01.036, that outlines: Steps planned to implement the conversion, progress made to date; updated dates by which the conversion will be completed; the benefits of an estuarine environment that can be expected to be observed; and requests for necessary funding.

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