AN ACT Relating to establishing a joint select committee to consider the political, economic, and security issues at Washington's largest ports; creating a new section; and providing an expiration date.

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

(a) The president of the senate shall appoint as members the chair and ranking member of the committee on government operations and security and chair and ranking member of the committee on trade and economic development.

(b) The speaker of the house of representatives shall appoint as members the chair and ranking member of the committee on local government and the chair and ranking member of the committee on community development, housing, and tribal affairs.

(2) The committee shall choose two cochairs from among its membership, one from the house of representatives and one from the senate. If one cochair belongs to the largest caucus in the house of representatives, then the other cochair must belong to the largest caucus in the senate. If one cochair belongs to the second largest caucus in the house of representatives, then the other cochair must belong to the second largest caucus in the senate.

(3) The committee must develop recommendations that:

(a) Consider the political, economic, and security issues facing Washington's largest ports;

(b) Promote regulatory consistency and certainty in the areas of land use planning, permitting, and business development in a manner that supports Washington's largest ports;

(c) Encourage cooperation and partnerships between local, state, federal, and private sectors to foster increased use of Washington's largest ports; and

(d) Identify aspects of state policy that have an impact on Washington's largest ports.

(4) Staff support for the committee must be provided by senate committee services and the house of representatives office of program research.

(5) Members of the committee are reimbursed for travel expenses in accordance with RCW 44.04.120.

(6) The expenses of the committee must be paid jointly by the senate and the house of representatives. Committee expenditures are subject to approval by the senate facilities and operations committee and the house of representatives executive rules committee, or their successor committees.

(7) The committee shall report its findings and recommendations to the appropriate committees of the legislature, consistent with RCW 43.01.036, by December 1, 2016.

(8) For the purposes of this section, "Washington's largest ports" means the two port districts in the state that have the highest annual volume of cargo and any port district bordering the Columbia river in a county with a population under one hundred twenty-five thousand with operating revenues over thirty million dollars a year.

(9) For the purposes of this section, "Washington's largest ports" means the four port districts in the state that had the highest gross operating revenues in 2015.

(10) This section expires December 1, 2016.

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