HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  HB 1751

                       As Passed House

                       March 15, 1993

Title:  An act relating to the compensation of the forest practices board.

Brief Description:  Modifying compensation of forest practices board members.

Sponsors:  Representatives Anderson and Reams.

Brief History:

  Reported by House Committee on:

State Government, February 23, 1993, DP;

Appropriations, March 6, 1993, DP;

Passed House, March 15, 1993, 94-0.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT

Majority Report:  Do pass.  Signed by 8 members:  Representatives Anderson, Chair; Veloria, Vice Chair; Reams, Ranking Minority Member; Campbell; Conway; Dyer; King; and Pruitt.

Staff:  Bonnie Austin (786-7135).

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

Majority Report:  Do pass.  Signed by 23 members:  Representatives Locke, Chair; Silver, Ranking Minority Member; Carlson, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Appelwick; Ballasiotes; Basich; Cooke; Dellwo; Dorn; Dunshee; G. Fisher; Jacobsen; Lemmon; Linville; Rust; Sehlin; Sheahan; Sommers; Stevens; Talcott; Wang; Wineberry; and Wolfe.

Staff:  Susan Nakagawa (786-7145).

Background:  The Forest Practices Board is responsible for promulgating regulations relating to logging, reforestation, and other forest practices.  The board consists of:  the Commissioner of Public Lands; the directors of the departments of Trade and Economic Development, Agriculture, and Ecology; an elected member of a county legislative authority; and six members of the general public.  Members serve four year terms.

Forest Practice Board members who are neither public employees nor elected officials are compensated for their services.  Currently, the Forest Practices Board is classified as a Class Three compensation group.  The rate of compensation in Class Three for each day that a member attends an official meeting of the board or performs statutorily prescribed duties approved by the chair of the board is not more than $50 per day.

Class Four groups are compensated at a rate of not more than $100 per day that services are rendered.  Class Four groups are characterized by having duties that are deemed by the Legislature as having overriding sensitivity and importance and by requiring service from its members that is normally in excess of 100 hours of meeting time per year.

Summary of Bill:  The  Forest Practices Board is reclassified for compensation purposes from a Class Three to Class Four group.  The rate of compensation is raised from not more than $50 per day to not more than $100 per day.

Fiscal Note:  Available.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  (State Government): This bill would ensure that the public members of the Forest Practices Board are properly compensated.  Balancing the need for a viable industry and the protection of public resources is of overriding sensitivity and importance.  These members work far in excess of 100 hours per year.  Meetings last from four to ten hours, and members meet from 24 to 53 days a year.

(Appropriations): None.

Testimony Against:  (State Government): None.

(Appropriations): None.

Witnesses:  (State Government): Pat McElroy, Department of Natural Resources (pro).

(Appropriations): None.