H-3497              _______________________________________________

                                                   HOUSE BILL NO. 2774

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                               51st Legislature                              1990 Regular Session

By Representatives Rasmussen, Cantwell, Doty, Schoon, Rector, Jesernig, Moyer, Kirby, Wineberry, Raiter, G. Fisher, Tate, Youngsman, P. King, Ferguson, Winsley, Dorn, Betrozoff and Sayan

Read first time 1/19/90 and referred to Committee on Trade & Economic Development.

AN ACT Relating to economic impact studies of sports events; adding new sections to chapter 43.63A RCW; and creating a new section.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.     The legislature finds that sports events can be a source of economic benefit to host communities, and that hosting sports events can be a useful element in a community's economic development strategy.  The legislature also finds that accurate, reliable, and comparable information on the economic impact of sports events is necessary for the legislature to determine which sports events should be supported by the state.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.     (1) The department of community development shall consult with experts in the field of input-output economic modeling at the University of Washington and in the private sector to develop the capability to perform economic impact studies for proposed sports events.  The studies shall estimate the direct and indirect economic impact of a sports event on the local host community, the respective county and region of the state, and the state.  The department shall also develop the capability to perform follow-up analyses after an event to verify the actual economic impact.

          (2) The department shall evaluate consistent definitions of terms and methodology to be used in the economic impact studies, and shall present study results in a format that allows comparison between sports events.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.     The department shall design an application process for requests for state funding for sports events and consider the appropriate role of an advisory committee or board to evaluate and process the applications.

          The criteria to be considered in each application shall include, but not be limited to:  The expected direct and indirect economic impact, the types and sources of expected employment opportunities that will be created in the host area, the benefits that will accrue to the residents of the area, the probability of the success of the event, and the availability of other sources of funding.

          The department shall consult with the office of financial management, the legislature's fiscal committees, the house of representatives trade and economic development committee, and the senate economic development and labor committee regarding the economic impacts of proposed sports events and the design of the application process.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.     The department, to the extent resources permit, shall:

          (1) Develop and maintain current information on sports development activities in Washington state and on the organizations, both public and private, that are involved in sports development;

          (2) Develop and maintain current information on sports development activities in the United States and the organizations, both public and private, that are involved in sports development; and

          (3) Survey and list the location, type, condition, and capacity of existing sports facilities in Washington state.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5.     Sections 2 through 4 of this act are each added to chapter 43.63A RCW.