H-1756.1  _______________________________________________

                          HOUSE BILL 1989

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      55th Legislature     1997 Regular Session

By Representatives Van Luven, Morris, Sehlin, Conway, DeBolt, Dickerson, Quall, Kastama, Doumit, Cooper, Gardner, Veloria, Blalock, Poulsen, Chopp, Keiser, O'Brien, Anderson and Linville

Read first time 02/17/97.  Referred to Committee on Trade & Economic Development.

Requiring consideration of international ferry closures' impact on tourism.

    AN ACT Relating to marine tourism with British Columbia, Canada; adding a new section to chapter 47.60 RCW; and creating a new section.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  (1) The legislature finds that:

    (a) Tourism is an important component of the state's economy and spending by out-of-state visitors and Washington residents traveling within the state totaled over seven and one-half billion dollars in 1994;

    (b) In 1994, spending by travelers provided employment for over ninety-six thousand people and that travel-generated payroll was one billion fifty-one million dollars;

    (c) In 1994, state tax revenue generated by travel spending totaled four hundred eleven million dollars and local governments collected one hundred four million nine hundred thousand dollars in travel-generated taxes;

    (d) In 1994, approximately twelve and one-half million international travelers visited Washington state and Canadian visitors accounted for approximately twelve million of the total visitors to Washington state;

    (e) In 1995, approximately twenty-two and nine-tenths percent of all Canadian visitors, both overnight and same day, to the United States came to Washington state; and

    (f) In 1994, spending by Canadian visitors added four hundred four  million eight hundred thousand dollars to the Washington state economy.

    (2) The legislature declares that tourism is a vital component of the state's economy and that the Puget Sound ferry system is vital to the state's tourism efforts.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 47.60 RCW to read as follows:

    In addition to the requirements of RCW 47.60.330(1), before a substantial curtailment in the level of service provided to ferry users between the state and British Columbia, Canada, the department of transportation shall consider the impact of the loss of tourism on the state and the local community.

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