6235-S.E AMH TED AMH-5351.1

6235-S2.E AMH TED AMH-5351.1

E2SSB 6235 - H COMM AMD ADOPTED AS AMENDED 3/4/98

By Committee on Trade & Economic Development

Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:

"NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) The legislature recognizes that coordinated funding efforts are needed to maintain, develop, and improve the state's community outdoor athletic fields. Rapid population growth and increased urbanization have caused a decline in suitable outdoor fields for community athletic activities and has resulted in overcrowding and deterioration of existing surfaces. Lack of adequate community outdoor athletic fields directly affects the health and well-being of all citizens of the state, reduces the state's economic viability, and prevents Washington from maintaining and achieving the quality of life that it deserves. Therefore, it is the policy of the state and its agencies to maintain, develop, fund, and improve youth or community athletic facilities, including but not limited to community outdoor athletic fields.

(2) In carrying out this policy, the legislature intends to promote the building of new community outdoor athletic fields, the upgrading of existing community outdoor athletic fields, and the maintenance of existing community outdoor athletic fields across the state of Washington. The purpose of sections 1 through 4 of this act is to create an advisory council to provide information and advice to the interagency committee for outdoor recreation in the distribution of the funds in the youth athletic facility grant account established in RCW 43.99N.060(4).

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. (1) A community outdoor athletic fields advisory council is established within the interagency committee for outdoor recreation. The advisory council shall consist of nine members, from the public at large, appointed as follows: (a) Four members appointed by the chairperson of the interagency committee for outdoor recreation; (b) two members appointed by the house of representatives, one each appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives and the minority leader of the house of representatives; (c) two members appointed by the senate, one each appointed by the majority leader of the senate and the minority leader of the senate; and (d) one member appointed by the governor, who shall serve as chairperson of the advisory council. The appointments must reflect an effort to achieve a balance among the appointed members based upon factors of geographic, racial, ethnic, and gender diversity, and with a sense and awareness of community outdoor athletic fields needs.

(2) The advisory council shall provide information to and make recommendations to the interagency committee for outdoor recreation on the award of funds from the youth athletic facility grant account created in RCW 43.99N.060(4), to cities, counties, and qualified nonprofit organizations for acquiring, developing, equipping, maintaining, and improving youth or community athletic facilities, including but not limited to community outdoor athletic fields.

(3) The members shall serve three-year terms. Of the initial members, two shall be appointed for a one-year term, three shall be appointed for a two-year term, and the remainder shall be appointed for three-year terms. Thereafter, members shall be appointed for three-year terms. The member appointed by the governor shall serve as chairperson of the advisory council for the duration of the member's term.

(4) Members of the advisory council shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for travel expenses as provided in RCW 43.03.050 and 43.03.060.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. Subject to available resources, the interagency committee for outdoor recreation, in consultation with the community outdoor athletic fields advisory council may:

(1) Prepare and update a strategic plan for the development, maintenance, and improvement of community outdoor athletic fields in the state. In the preparation of such plan, the interagency committee for outdoor recreation may use available data from federal, state, and local agencies having community outdoor athletic responsibilities, user groups, private sector interests, and the general public. The plan may include, but is not limited to:

(a) An inventory of current community outdoor athletic fields;

(b) A forecast of demand for these fields;

(d) Other information the interagency committee for outdoor recreation deems appropriate to carry out the purposes of sections 1 through 4 of this act;

(2) Determine the eligibility requirements for cities, counties, and qualified nonprofit organizations to access funding from the youth athletic facility grant account created in RCW 43.99N.060(4);

(3) Encourage and provide opportunities for interagency and regional coordination and cooperative efforts between public agencies and between public entities and nonprofit organizations involved in the maintenance, development, and improvement of community outdoor athletic fields; and

(4) Create and maintain data, studies, research, and other information relating to community outdoor athletic fields in the state, and to encourage the exchange of this information.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. The interagency committee for outdoor recreation may receive gifts, grants, or endowments from public and private sources that are made from time to time, in trust or otherwise, for the use and benefit of the purposes of sections 1 through 4 of this act and spend gifts, grants, or endowments or income from the public or private sources according to their terms, unless the receipt of the gifts, grants, or endowments violates RCW 42.17.710.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. Sections 1 through 4 of this act expire one year after RCW 82.14.0494 expires.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. Sections 1 through 6 of this act are each added to chapter 43.99 RCW under the subchapter heading "youth or community athletic facilities.""

Correct the title.

EFFECT: The striking amendment: (a) creates the advisory committee in the IAC; (b) advisory committee membership is increased from 5 to 9; (c) removes $50 per day compensation and only provides standard reimbursement for travel expenses; (d) makes duties responsibility of IAC, in consultation with advisory committee, subject to available resources; (e) clarifies that IAC, in consultation with advisory committee, awards grants from youth athletic grant account to cities, counties, and qualified nonprofit organizations; (f) allows IAC to accept gifts, grants, and endowments for purpose of community outdoor athletic fields; and (g) places statutes as subchapter in IAC law under heading "Community Outdoor Athletic Fields."