BILL REQ. #:  Z-0729.1 

Read first time 01/17/14.   Referred to Committee on Governmental Operations.

     AN ACT Relating to the Washington state historical society; and amending RCW 27.34.330, 27.34.395, and 27.34.900.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 27.34.330 and 2006 c 371 s 232 are each amended to read as follows:
     The Washington state historical society shall establish a competitive process to solicit proposals for and prioritize heritage capital projects for potential funding in the state capital budget. The society shall adopt rules governing project eligibility and evaluation criteria. Application for funding of specific heritage projects may be made to the society by local governments, public development authorities, nonprofit corporations, tribal governments, and other entities, as determined by the society. The society, with the advice of ((leaders in the heritage field)) an advisory panel, including but not limited to leaders in the fields of heritage, architecture, and finance, representatives from the office of the secretary of state, the department of enterprise services, the eastern Washington state historical society, and the department of archaeology and historic preservation, shall establish and submit a prioritized list of heritage capital projects to the governor and the legislature in the society's biennial capital budget request. The list shall include a description of each project, the amount of recommended state funding, and documentation of nonstate funds to be used for the project. The total amount of recommended state funding for projects on a biennial project list shall not exceed ten million dollars. The prioritized list shall be developed through open and public meetings and the amount of state funding shall not exceed thirty-three and one-third percent of the total cost of the project. The nonstate portion of the total project cost may include cash, the value of real property when acquired solely for the purpose of the project, and in-kind contributions. The department shall not sign contracts or otherwise financially obligate funds under this section until the legislature has approved a specific list of projects. In contracts for grants authorized under this section, the society shall include provisions requiring that capital improvements be held by the grantee for a specified period of time appropriate to the amount of the grant and that facilities be used for the express purpose of the grant. If the grantee is found to be out of compliance with provisions of the contract, the grantee shall repay to the state general fund the principal amount of the grant plus interest calculated at the rate of interest on state of Washington general obligation bonds issued most closely to the date of authorization of the grant. No more than ten percent of funds appropriated for the grant program may be retained and used by the society for administrative costs.

Sec. 2   RCW 27.34.395 and 2007 c 138 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:
     The legislature affirms that the Washington state historical society is the state's designated partner representative for the Vancouver national historic reserve. Accordingly, the Washington state historical society shall:
     (1) Participate in the regularly scheduled coordination meetings of the Vancouver national historic reserve partners;
     (2) Participate in the development of management, education, and interpretive plans and policies associated with the Vancouver national historic reserve;
     (3) Partner with ((Washington State University and other agencies for purposes of managing the center for Columbia river history, headquartered on the Vancouver national historic reserve, and with)) the department for preservation and rehabilitation of the site; and
     (4) Develop and submit to the office of financial management and the legislature operating and capital budget requests concurrent with the biennial cycle and oversee the management of all funds appropriated by the state for the Vancouver national historic reserve.

Sec. 3   RCW 27.34.900 and 1993 c 101 s 13 are each amended to read as follows:
     The building and grounds designated as Block 2, Grainger's Addition to the City of Olympia, County of Thurston, acquired by the state under senate joint resolution No. 18, session of 1939, is hereby designated a part of the state capitol, to be known as the state capital ((historical museum)) heritage outreach center. This structure is to be used to ((house and interpret the collection)) support the mission of the Washington state historical society((. This section does not limit the society's use of other structures)), including but not limited to leasing of the building, the proceeds of which shall be retained by the society as a source of funding for mission-related activities.