FINAL BILL REPORT

                 SHB 1701

                         C 341 L 99

                     Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description:  Allowing for the use of funds to dredge marine recreation land.

Sponsors:  By House Committee on Natural Resources (Originally sponsored by Representatives Buck, Doumit, Radcliff, Kessler, Sump, Miloscia, Barlean, Regala, Schoesler, DeBolt, Hatfield, Tokuda, Eickmeyer, Mielke, Pennington, B. Chandler, Alexander, Clements and Mastin).

House Committee on Natural Resources

Senate Committee on Natural Resources, Parks & Recreation

Background:

The motor vehicle fuel tax is paid on all motor vehicle fuel sold in the state.  The director of the Department of Licensing is required to determine, at least once every four years, the proportion of the moneys collected from the tax which is on marine fuels.  The rate is currently set at 1.139 percent.  The marine fuel tax refund account is funded on a monthly basis, according to this rate.

The recreation resource account is funded from the marine fuel tax refund account.   This account pays for the administrative and coordinative costs of the Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation.  Additional funds are divided into two shares for the benefit of watercraft recreation in the state.  The first share is used to provide grants to state agencies for the acquisition or capital improvement of marine recreation land.  Such grants may be used to secure matching funds from federal programs which are dedicated to similar projects.  The second share is used to provide grants to public bodies for the acquisition or capital improvements of marine recreation land.  A public body may use grants along with its own funds in order to secure federal matching funds for such projects.  "Public body" is defined to include counties, cities, towns, port districts, park and recreation districts, other municipal corporations, and Indian tribes recognized by the federal government for participation in the land and water conservation program. 

Summary:

Moneys from the recreation resource account granted to state agencies or public bodies for the capital improvement of marine recreation land may be used additionally for renovation.  Such renovation may include necessary periodic dredging to maintain or make a facility more useful.  "Periodic dredging" is defined, and such dredging activities are limited to the removal of materials that have been deposited due to unforseen events and such dredging should extend the expected usefulness of the facility for at least five years.

Votes on Final Passage:

       House  97 0

Senate 45 0 (Senate amended)

House(House refused to concur)

Senate400(Senate receded)

Effective:July 25, 1999