April 26, 20255345April 26, 20252523

I, Bernard Dean, Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is HOUSE BILL 2003 as passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate on the dates hereon set forth.

Chief Clerk

Secretary of State

State of Washington

HB 2003.PLHOUSE BILL 2003SENATEPassed Legislature2025 Regular Session69th Legislature2025 Regular SessionRepresentatives Reeves, Fitzgibbon, and PolletRead first time 02/20/25.Referred to Committee on Appropriations.Concerning the Columbia river recreational salmon and steelhead endorsement program. AN ACT Relating to the Columbia river recreational salmon and steelhead endorsement program; adding new sections to chapter 77.12 RCW; providing an effective date; and providing expiration dates. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 77.12 RCW to read as follows:

(1) The Columbia river recreational salmon and steelhead endorsement program account is created in the custody of the state treasurer. All receipts from Columbia river salmon and steelhead endorsement purchases under section 2 of this act and gifts made for purposes of the Columbia river recreational salmon and steelhead endorsement program must be deposited into the account. Expenditures from the account may be used only to facilitate recreational salmon and steelhead selective fishing opportunities on the Columbia river and its tributaries including, but not limited to, monitoring, hatchery production, pinniped removal, and enforcement. Only the director or the director's designee 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.

(2) This section expires January 1, 2028.

 Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 77.12 RCW to read as follows:

(1) In addition to a recreational license required under this chapter, a Columbia river salmon and steelhead endorsement is required in order for any person 15 years of age or older to fish recreationally for salmon or steelhead in the Columbia river and its tributaries where these fisheries have been authorized by the department. The cost for each endorsement is $7.50 for residents and nonresidents and $6 for youth and seniors. The department shall deposit all receipts from endorsement purchases into the Columbia river recreational salmon and steelhead endorsement program account created in section 1 of this act.

(2) For the purposes of this section and section 1 of this act, the term "Columbia river" means the Columbia river from a line across the Columbia river between Rocky Point in Washington and Tongue Point in Oregon to the Chief Joseph dam.

(3) This section expires January 1, 2028.

 Sec. 3. A new section is added to chapter 77.12 RCW to read as follows:

(1) By December 1, 2026, the department and the relevant stakeholders shall review the Columbia river salmon and steelhead endorsement program, prepare a brief summary of the activities conducted under the program, and provide this summary and a recommendation whether the program should be continued to the appropriate committees of the legislature.

(2) This section expires January 1, 2028.

 Sec. 4.

This act takes effect January 1, 2026.