Washington State House of Representatives Office of Program Research
Government Reform and Land Use
Committee
BILL ANALYSIS
HCR 4432
Title of the Bill: Urging the Legislature to select a Joint Committee on Rural Land Use and Economic Development.
What this Bill Does: Creates a Joint Committee on Rural Land Use and Economic Development.
Sponsors: Representatives Mulliken, Gardner, Mielke, Kessler, Honeyford, DeBolt, Buck, Parlette, Linville, McMorris, Sehlin, Quall, Pennington, Boldt, Schoesler, Johnson, Sump, Sheahan, Clements, Chandler, Doumit, Hatfield, Lisk, Anderson, Morris, Mastin, Dunn, Alexander, Grant, Delvin, Hankins, Eickmeyer, Skinner and Conway
Hearing Date: 2/23/98
Fiscal Note: Not requested.
Analysis Prepared By: Joan Elgee, 786-7135
BACKGROUND:
The Growth Management Act (GMA) was enacted in 1990 and 1991. The GMA establishes requirements for all counties and cites in the state, and imposes additional requirements on the faster growing counties. A city follows the lead of the county in which it is located. Counties and cities subject to all the requirements of the GMA are typically referred to as counties and cities planning under the GMA. A county may also choose to be subject to the planning requirements.
The primary planning requirement is the adoption of comprehensive plans. The plan must include the following elements:
CA land use element;
CA housing element;
CA rural element;
CA capital facilities plan element;
CA utilities element; and
CA transportation element.
The Legislature has specified 13 planning goals to guide the development of the comprehensive plans. These include the encouragement of development in urban areas and the reduction of sprawl. The economic development goal identifies, among other things, the encouragement of economic development throughout the state, and growth in areas experiencing insufficient economic growth. The legislative findings adopted when the GMA was enacted also state that it is in the public interest that economic development programs be shared with communities experiencing insufficient economic growth.
Many of the rural areas of the state are experiencing high unemployment and are having difficulty attracting new industry.
SUMMARY: