HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  HB 1221

                      As Passed House:

                       March 12, 1999

Title:  An act relating to the Lewis and Clark bicentennial advisory committee.

Brief Description:  Regarding Lewis and Clark bicentennial advisory committee.

Sponsors:  Representatives Ogden, Carlson, Conway, Mielke, Lantz, Pennington, Doumit, Hatfield and Dunn.

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

State Government: 1/29/99, 2/12/99 [DP];

Appropriations:  3/1/99, 3/3/99 [DP].

Floor Activity:

Passed House:  3/12/99, 96-0.

                 Brief Summary of Bill

$Creates the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Advisory Committee to plan and promote the bicentennial.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT

Majority Report: Do pass.  Signed by 8 members: Representatives McMorris, Republican Co-Chair; Romero, Democratic Co-Chair; Campbell, Republican Vice Chair; Miloscia, Democratic Vice Chair; Dunshee; Haigh; Lambert and D. Schmidt.

Staff: Scott MacColl (786-7106).

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

Majority Report:  Do pass.  Signed by 32 members:  Representatives Huff, Republican Co-Chair; H. Sommers, Democratic Co-Chair; Alexander, Republican Vice Chair; Doumit, Democratic Vice Chair; D. Schmidt, Republican Vice Chair; Barlean; Benson; Boldt; Carlson; Clements; Cody; Crouse; Gombosky; Grant; Kagi; Keiser; Kenney; Kessler; Lambert; Linville; Lisk; Mastin; McIntire; McMorris; Mulliken; Parlette; Regala; Rockefeller; Ruderman; Sullivan; Tokuda and Wensman.

Staff:  Heather Flodstrom (786-7391).

Background:

The years 2005-06 represent the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition reaching Washington.  The state is currently promoting the expedition through the Lewis and Clark Trail Committee, which is administered and staffed by the State Parks and Recreation Commission, and is promoting, among other events, the bicentennial of the expedition. 

The Washington State Historical Society is designated to work with the committee by coordinating its planning efforts with the State Parks and Recreation Commission. The commission has current funding for fiscal year 98 to promote and plan for the bicentennial in an informal manner, and staff planning and coordination is already an ongoing effort.

Summary of Bill:

The Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Advisory Committee is created under the auspices of the Washington State Historical Society, and sunsets in June of 2007.  The committee will have fifteen members made up of private citizens and representatives of the state.  The committee is authorized to coordinate and lead the observance of the bicentennial.

The Washington State Historical Society is designated as administrative support, including space, budget and accounting functions, and collecting monies for the committee.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Not requested.

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

Testimony For: (State Government) Same as a bill last year that passed the house, but didn't make it off the Senate floor.  Formalizes the role of the Lewis and Clark Trail Committee, which has been meeting since 1964 with volunteer members. The bill provides a vehicle to insure coordination between all appropriate agencies involved.  Last year $50,000 was appropriated to the State Historical Society for the bicentennial efforts. There are enormous implications for economic development now and in the future.  People have already started coming to Washington because of the bicentennial.  It is important to have legislators on the committee, so that the committee can have a voice in the Legislature.  Washington is the first state to appropriate money for this, and the Governor's budget has $100,000 earmarked for the next fiscal year.  State parks also have monies in their budgets to redo interpretive centers along the trail.  Economic development opportunities are motivating the interagency team already working on the celebration.

(Appropriations)  The Lewis and Clark efforts have been great so far, and this bill will help them keep going.  The Washington State Historical Society is working with the Department of Transportation tourism division, the Department of Community, Trade, and Economic Development,  and the State Parks Department in this joint effort toward a successful celebration of the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition.  These agencies are working well together, and the advisory committee created in this bill will not duplicate their efforts.  If no funds are appropriated in the budget of the historical society for the purposes of administrative support for this new advisory committee, they will still go forward with the planning for the celebration.  There is a study that has been completed that identifies the 127 sites along the Columbia River that the Lewis and Clark Expedition went through.  The committee created in this bill can use this study for their bicentennial planning efforts and local communities and counties can build their efforts on the findings of the study.  The bicentennial celebration could provide substantial economic benefit to some of the counties in southwest Washington, and it is important that the state provide coordination for all of the parties involved to prevent duplication of efforts.

Testimony Against: (State Government) None.

(Appropriations) None.

Testified: (State Government) Representative Ogden, prime sponsor; Martin Plamondon II, Lewis and Clark Trail Committee; and David L. Nicandri, Washington State Historical Society.

 (Appropriations) Representative Val Ogden, prime sponsor; Representative Don Carlson, sponsor;  and Derek Valley, Washington State Historical Society.