BILL REQ. #:  H-0994.1 

Read first time 02/06/2003.   Referred to Committee on Capital Budget.

     AN ACT Relating to purchase of land by state agencies; and adding a new section to chapter 79.01 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   A new section is added to chapter 79.01 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) No state agency may purchase a privately owned parcel of land in excess of five contiguous acres in any county in which public land, federal land, and tribal land together constitute more than seventy percent of the total land mass, not including aquatic lands, of the county, except under the provisions of subsection (2) of this section.
     (2) An agency may purchase more than five contiguous acres under the provisions of this section if: (a) The legislature takes specific action directing the agency to make the purchase; (b) the appropriate county legislative authority or authorities consent to the transaction; and (c) the transaction is funded by other than state dollars.
     (3) When land is purchased by a state agency, the agency must post a bond or otherwise financially guarantee that the land will be managed for the control of noxious weeds and the maintenance of forest health. The bond or financial guarantee is to be determined by the appropriate county legislative authority and must be based upon the size of the parcel.
     (4) The department of transportation is exempt from the provisions of this section.