SENATE BILL REPORT

SB 6370

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

Senate Hearing Date(s):January 25, 1988

Majority Report:  Do pass.

      Signed by Senators Pullen, Chairman; McCaslin, Vice Chairman; Halsan, Hayner, Madsen, Nelson, Newhouse, Niemi, Talmadge.

Senate Staff:Lidia Mori (786-7418)

                  March 4, 1988

House Committe on State Government

AS PASSED SENATE, FEBRUARY 5, 1988

BACKGROUND:

In 1979 the office of the Code Revisor 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.  The Department of Conservation, the Weather Modification Board, the Columbia Basin Commission and the Power Advisory Committee were abolished in 1967 and the majority of their powers were transferred to the Department of Water Resources. The Department of Water Resources, the Water Pollution Control Commission and the Air Pollution Control Board were later abolished and their powers and duties 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.

Appropriation:    none

Revenue:    none

Fiscal Note:      none requested

Senate Committee - Testified: Dennis Cooper, Code Reviser; Terry Wilson, Office of the Code Reviser

HOUSE AMENDMENT:

The amendment makes clear that no additional authority from what existed prior to the Senate bill is being granted to the Department of Ecology.