2019 Regular Session

ByRepresentative Blake

Read first time 02/22/19.Referred to Committee on Rural Development, Agriculture, & Natural Resources.

AN ACT Relating to membership of the Chehalis board; and amending RCW 43.21A.731.

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

Sec. 1. RCW 43.21A.731 and 2017 c 27 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The Chehalis board is created consisting of seven voting members.

(2)(a) Four members of the board must be voting members who are appointed through the governor. The governor shall invite the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation and the Quinault Indian Nation to each designate a voting member of the board, each of which may also designate a voting alternate member of the board. In addition, the governor shall appoint two members of the board, subject to confirmation by the senate. Three board members must be selected by the Chehalis basin flood authority. No member may have a direct financial interest in the actions of the board. The governor shall appoint one of the flood authority appointees as the chair. The voting members of the board must be appointed for terms of four years, except that one member appointed by the governor and one member appointed by the flood authority initially must be appointed for terms of two years, and one member appointed by the governor and two members appointed by the flood authority must initially be appointed for terms of three years. In making the appointments, each appointing authority shall seek a board membership that collectively provides the expertise necessary to provide strong oversight for implementation of the Chehalis basin strategy, that provides extensive knowledge of local government processes and functions, and that has an understanding of issues relevant to reducing flood damages and restoring aquatic species.

(b) In addition to the seven voting members of the board, the following five state officials must serve as ex officio nonvoting members of the board: The director of the department of fish and wildlife, the executive director of the Washington state conservation commission, the secretary of the department of transportation, the director of the department of ecology, and the commissioner of public lands. The state officials serving in an ex officio capacity may designate a representative of their respective agencies to serve on the board in their behalf. These designations must be made in writing and in such a manner as is specified by the board.

(3) Staff support to the board must be provided by the department. For administrative purposes, the board is located within the department.

(4) Members of the board who do not represent state agencies must be compensated as provided by RCW 43.03.250. Members of the board shall be reimbursed for travel expenses as provided by RCW 43.03.050 and 43.03.060.

(5) The board is responsible for oversight of a long-term strategy resulting from the department's programmatic environmental impact statement for the Chehalis river basin to reduce flood damages and restore aquatic species habitat.

(6) The board is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the strategy and developing biennial and supplemental budget recommendations to the governor.