CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT

                   SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2461

                        55th Legislature

                      1998 Regular Session

Passed by the House February 13, 1998  Yeas 84   Nays 13 Speaker of the       House of Representatives Passed by the Senate March 6, 1998   Yeas 45   Nays 1

CERTIFICATE I, Timothy A. Martin, Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2461  as passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate on the dates hereon set forth.

President of the Senate

Chief Clerk

Approved Place Style On Codes above, and Style Off Codes below.

FILED

Governor of the State of Washington

Secretary of State                   State of Washington

          _______________________________________________

                    SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2461

          _______________________________________________

             Passed Legislature - 1998 Regular Session

State of Washington      55th Legislature     1998 Regular Session

By House Committee on Natural Resources (originally sponsored by Representatives Buck, Sump, Kessler, Schoesler, Benson, Koster, DeBolt, McMorris, Alexander, Gardner, Linville, Thompson and Mulliken)

Read first time 02/05/98.  Referred to Committee on .

Requiring a timely distribution of certain state forest land funds back to the counties.

    AN ACT Relating to moneys derived from state forest lands; reenacting and amending RCW 76.12.120; and adding a new section to chapter 76.12 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 76.12 RCW to read as follows:

    With regard to moneys remaining under RCW 76.12.030(2), within seven working days of receipt of these moneys, the department shall certify to the state treasurer the amounts to be distributed to the counties.  The state treasurer shall distribute funds to the counties four times per month, with no more than ten days between each payment date.

    Sec. 2.  RCW 76.12.120 and 1988 c 128 s 32 and 1988 c 70 s 1 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:

    All land, acquired or designated by the department as state forest land, shall be forever reserved from sale, but the timber and other products thereon may be sold or the land may be leased in the same manner and for the same purposes as is authorized for state granted land if the department finds such sale or lease to be in the best interests of the state and approves the terms and conditions thereof.

    Except as provided in RCW 79.12.035, all money derived from the sale of timber or other products, or from lease, or from any other source from the land, except where the Constitution of this state or RCW 76.12.030 requires other disposition, shall be disposed of as follows:

    (1) Fifty percent shall be placed in the forest development account.

    (2) Fifty percent shall be prorated and distributed to the state general fund, to be dedicated for the benefit of the public schools, and the county in which the land is located according to the relative proportions of tax levies of all taxing districts in the county.  The portion to be distributed to the state general fund shall be based on the regular school levy rate under RCW 84.52.065 as now or hereafter amended and the levy rate for any maintenance and operation special school levies.  With regard to the portion to be distributed to the counties, the department shall certify to the state treasurer the amounts to be distributed within seven working days of receipt of the money.  The state treasurer shall distribute funds to the counties four times per month, with no more than ten days between each payment date. The money distributed to the county shall be paid, distributed, and prorated to the various other funds in the same manner as general taxes are paid and distributed during the year of payment.

                            --- END ---