HOUSE BILL REPORT

SSB 5209

As Reported by House Committee On:

Transportation

Title:  An act relating to the sale of surplus real property by the department of transportation.

Brief Description:  Allowing federally recognized Indian tribes to buy surplus real property from the department of transportation.

Sponsors:  Senate Committee on Transportation (originally sponsored by Senators T. Sheldon, Swecker, Regala, Rossi, Prentice and Costa).

Brief History:

Committee Activity:

Transportation:  3/4/02 [DP].

Brief Summary of Substitute Bill

$Federally recognized Indian tribes are authorized to purchase surplus real property from the Department of Transportation (DOT) providing the property is within its reservation boundary.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION

Majority Report:  Do pass. Signed by 24 members: Representatives Fisher, Chair; Cooper, Vice Chair; Lovick, Vice Chair; Mitchell, Ranking Minority Member; Anderson, Ericksen, Haigh, Hankins, Hatfield, Holmquist, Jackley, Jarrett, Mielke, Morell, Murray, Ogden, Rockefeller, Romero, Schindler, Simpson, Skinner, Sullivan, Wood and Woods.

Staff:  Penny Nerup (786‑7335).

Background:

When the Department of Transportation determines that it no longer needs real property for transportation purposes and that the public interest is not affected, it may sell or exchange the property at fair market value to a limited class of purchasers.  Authorized purchasers include, among others, state agencies, cities or counties in which the property is located, transit authorities, former owners of the property, or owners of abutting private property.

Summary of Substitute Bill:

A federally recognized Indian tribe is allowed to purchase surplus Department of Transportation real property within its reservation boundary.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not Requested.

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

Testimony For:  Without this bill, local federally recognized Indian tribes are required to go through the BIA in order to purchase surplus DOT property within their reservations.  Tribes need some of this land for economic development.  This bill will help build relationships between the tribes and the DOT.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Senator T. Sheldon, prime sponsor; Denny Hurtado, Skokomish Indian Tribe; Colleen Jollie, Washington State Department of Transportation; and Dawn Vyvyan, Yakama Nation.