BILL ANALYSIS

HB  2599

TITLE OF THE BILL: Promoting the improvement of port district employees.

Brief Summary:

CAuthorizes port districts to provide training and education programs through

     a nonprofit corporation for port district officials and employees to implement

     port's economic development programs.

C   Allows transfer of funds from an industrial development corporation for training

     and education programs and provides for audit of any nonprofit corporations

     created for this purpose.

CAllows transfer of funds from an industrial development corporation for training

     and education programs and provides for audit of any nonprofit corporations

     created for this purpose.

CSpecifies the Washington  Public  Ports Association is a private nonprofit corporation

     contracting to provide services to port districts.

SPONSORS:   Representatives Doumit, Mulliken, Scott, Fisher and Alexander.

HEARING DATE:  Thursday, January 27, 2000.

EFFECTIVE DATE:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

FISCAL NOTE:  Not requested.

ANALYSIS PREPARED BY:  Scott MacColl (786-7106).

BACKGROUND:

The Washington Public Ports Association (WPPA) is created under Chapter 53.06 RCW to be the coordinating agency through which the port district commissions throughout the state empower to perform certain duties.  Those duties include, among others, studies for development of business, establishing joint marketing bodies, to exchange information germane to ports around the state, to encourage port economic development, and to act as the liaison between the ports and the state.

Port districts that choose to be a part of WPPA are authorized to pay dues and/or assessments from public port district funds not exceeding a sum specified in statute.

A municipality may by ordinance create a public corporation for the purpose of facilitating economic development and employment opportunities through the financing of the project costs of industrial development facilities.  No municipality may give or lend any money or property in aid of a public corporation.  No public corporation may issue revenue obligations except under the approval of the municipality under which it was created and the city or county within whose planning jurisdiction the proposed industrial development facility lies.

Municipality is defined for the purposes of this chapter to mean a city, town, county, or port district.

SUMMARY:

The Washington Public Ports Association is authorized to establish a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization for the purpose of providing scholarships to port district staff for training, education and general improvement of port district public sector management skills.  The WPPA and any non-profit that is created through the WPPA is deemed to be a private, non-profit corporation contracting with the ports to provide services.  The non-profit organization is expressly required to be audited by the state auditor to ensure compliance with the terms of the contract under which payments or reimbursements of public funds are received.

The non-profit is authorized to receive and solicit private individual contributions to the scholarship fund.  The scholarship awards are awarded on a annual basis based on the need and potential impact improved staff performance would have on their communities.

Port districts are authorized to contribute monies to the non-profit corporation from their industrial development corporations, that was generated through the issuance of industrial development bonds for private companies.