HOUSE BILL REPORT

HB 1229

BYRepresentatives Haugen, S. Wilson, Hargrove, R. King, P. King, Jones and Kremen

Authorizing advertising in department of wildlife publications.

House Committe on Fisheries & Wildlife

Majority Report:  Do pass with amendments.  (8)

      Signed by Representatives R. King, Chair; Morris, Vice Chair; S. Wilson, Ranking Republican Member; Basich, Bowman, Brooks, Cole, Haugen, Smith, Spanel and Vekich.

House Staff:Pamela Madson (786-7310)

AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON FISHERIES & WILDLIFE FEBRUARY 2, 1989

BACKGROUND:

The Department of Wildlife produces pamphlets that explain its fishing and hunting regulations.  The pamphlets are lengthy and are expensive to produce, print, and distribute.

In recent years, the department has included paid advertising in its pamphlets to help defray production and distribution costs.  The department has concluded that RCW 77.12.185, which allows the director to collect moneys to recover reasonable costs of informational material publication, provides the department the general authority necessary to include paid advertising in its publications.

SUMMARY:

BILL AS AMENDED:  Explicit authority is provided the director of the Department of Wildlife to solicit paid advertising for informational materials published by the department.

The informational materials shall include a statement that the inclusion of advertisements in the publication does not constitute an endorsement of the products being advertised.

All advertising fees collected by the department shall be credited to the state wildlife fund.

AMENDED BILL COMPARED TO ORIGINAL:  The Department of Wildlife may recover the cost of publication rather than just the cost of printing through the use of paid advertising.

Fiscal Note:      No Impact.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    Jim King, Washington State Sportsmen's Council; Lee Smith, Washington Department of Wildlife.

House Committee - Testified Against:      Paul Conrad, Allied Daily Newspapers and Washington Newspaper Publishers Association.

House Committee - Testimony For:    Allowing for paid advertising in Department of Wildlife publications is another way to raise additional funds for wildlife. The department is currently using paid advertising in some publications.  The fee for advertising should be based on costs of publishing all department informational material rather than an individual document.  Focusing on printing cost recovery is too restrictive.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      Government should not be in the advertising business.  The state cannot appropriately be involved in this type of activity.