FINAL BILL REPORT

SB 6370

PARTIAL VETO

                                   C 127 L 88

BYSenators Pullen, Talmadge and McCaslin; by request of Statute Law Committee

Correcting obsolete statutory references resulting from a devolution of power from the department of conservation.

Senate Committee on Law & Justice

House Committe on State Government

SYNOPSIS AS ENACTED

BACKGROUND:

In 1979, the office of the Code Reviser began the process of cleaning up obsolete references in Washington statutes.  Legislation often devolves powers onto newly created agencies or transfers powers from one agency to another but does not amend every section to refer to the proper agency.  There are concerns that the Washington code may not be as useful to the public when it contains inaccurate references or references to agencies that do not exist.

In 1921, the state Reclamation Board was abolished and its powers and duties transferred to the Department of Conservation and Development which was later renamed the Department of Conservation.  Along with the Weather Modification Board, the Columbia Basin Commission and the Power Advisory Committee, it was abolished in 1967 and the majority of powers were transferred to the Department of Water Resources.  Later, the Department of Water Resources, the Water Pollution Control Commission and the Air Pollution Control Board were abolished and powers and duties were transferred to the Department of Ecology.

SUMMARY:

References to agencies and their divisions and offices which have been abolished are corrected.  Since the Department of Conservation has been eliminated, all non-obsolete sections are recodified into the chapters on the Department of Ecology or the Department of Natural Resources.  No additional authority is granted to the Department of Ecology.

VOTES ON FINAL PASSAGE:

      Senate    44     0

      House 97   0 (House amended)

      Senate    49     0 (Senate concurred)

EFFECTIVE:June 9, 1988

Partial Veto Summary:  Section 80, which reenacts RCW 90.22.010, is deleted.  It has already been reenacted by Section 6 of SSB 6724 and is therefore redundant.  (See VETO MESSAGE)