H-3309.1

HOUSE BILL 2503

State of Washington
66th Legislature
2020 Regular Session
ByRepresentatives Barkis, Blake, Walsh, Young, and Dufault
Read first time 01/15/20.Referred to Committee on Transportation.
AN ACT Relating to the removal of fish passage barriers; amending RCW 77.95.160; reenacting and amending RCW 43.84.092; adding a new section to chapter 47.04 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 46.68 RCW; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1. The legislature recognizes that the Brian Abbott fish barrier removal board is the state entity tasked with determining fish barrier removal projects that provide quality habitat that are likely to result in improved salmon runs. The legislature declares if it is going to invest billions of dollars in fish barrier removals pursuant to a court order that the funding must be allocated in a manner to provide actual improved habitat for fish first. For this reason, the legislature is providing a role for the fish passage barrier removal board in the process the department of transportation uses to remove fish barriers on state-owned land with the expectation that there will be watershed improvements, not just correction to barriers where no fish benefit. The legislature finds that the Washington state department of transportation is an expert on building transportation projects not on the needs of fish, and requires the department to use a list made in conjunction with the fish passage barrier removal board in its efforts to improve fish habitat and comply with the federal court injunction in United States v. Washington.
Sec. 2. RCW 77.95.160 and 2014 c 120 s 4 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) The department shall maintain a fish passage barrier removal board. The board must be composed of a representative from the department, the department of transportation, cities, counties, the governor's salmon recovery office, tribal governments, and the department of natural resources. The representative of the department must serve as chair of the board and may expand the membership of the board to representatives of other governments, stakeholders, and interested entities.
(2)(a) The duty of the board is to identify and expedite the removal of human-made or caused impediments to anadromous fish passage in the most efficient manner practical through the development of a coordinated approach and schedule that identifies and prioritizes the projects necessary to eliminate fish passage barriers caused by state and local roads and highways and barriers owned by private parties.
(b) The coordinated approach must address fish passage barrier removals in all areas of the state in a manner that is consistent with a recognition that scheduling and prioritization is necessary.
(c) The board must coordinate and mutually share information, when appropriate, with:
(i) Other fish passage correction programs, including local salmon recovery plan implementation efforts through the governor's salmon recovery office;
(ii) The applicable conservation districts when developing schedules and priorities within set geographic areas or counties; ((and))
(iii) The recreation and conservation office to ensure that barrier removal methodologies are consistent with, and maximizing the value of, other salmon recovery efforts and habitat improvements that are not primarily based on the removal of barriers; and
(iv) Tribal governments to the extent they are willing to participate and choose to share information about tribal salmon recovery efforts, including fish passage barrier removal.
(d) Recommendations must include proposed funding mechanisms and other necessary mechanisms and methodologies to coordinate state, tribal, local, and volunteer barrier removal efforts within each water resource inventory area and satisfy the principles of RCW 77.95.180. To the degree practicable, the board must utilize the database created in RCW 77.95.170 and information on fish barriers developed by conservation districts to guide methodology development. The board may consider recommendations by interested entities from the private sector and regional fisheries enhancement groups.
(e) When developing a prioritization methodology under this section, the board shall consider:
(i) Projects benefiting depressed, threatened, and endangered stocks;
(ii) Projects providing access to available and high quality spawning and rearing habitat;
(iii) Correcting the lowest barriers within the stream first;
(iv) Whether an existing culvert is a full or partial barrier;
(v) Projects that are coordinated with other adjacent barrier removal projects; and
(vi) Projects that address replacement of infrastructure associated with flooding, erosion, or other environmental damage.
(f) The board may not make decisions on fish passage standards or categorize as impassible culverts or other infrastructure developments that have been deemed passable by the department.
(3)(a) By August 31st of every even-numbered year until 2031, the department of transportation must provide a proposed list of fish passage barrier removals on land owned or managed by the state department of transportation. The list must identify which barriers are within the area subject to the federal court injunction in United States v. Washington. The board must review and prepare a prioritized list for the department of transportation of fish passage barrier removal projects on land owned, managed by, or related to the department of transportation by December 1st of the same year. This may include barriers on roads owned by political subdivisions of the state that block fish passage below a department of transportation-owned or managed barrier that is on the list to be removed or corrected during the biennium.
(b) The state department of transportation may only undertake fish passage barrier removal projects on the prioritized list provided by the board pursuant to (a) of this subsection, fish passage barrier removal projects necessary for completion of another state department of transportation project, or as otherwise directed by the legislature in statute or in the biennial operating, capital, or transportation omnibus appropriations acts.
NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3. A new section is added to chapter 47.04 RCW to read as follows:
Until December 31, 2030, the department may only undertake fish passage barrier removal projects on the prioritized list provided by the board pursuant to RCW 77.95.160(3), fish passage barrier removal projects necessary for completion of another state department of transportation project, or as otherwise directed by the legislature in statute or in the biennial operating, capital, or transportation omnibus appropriations acts.
NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4. A new section is added to chapter 46.68 RCW to read as follows:
(1) The fish passage barrier removal account is created in the state treasury. Moneys in the account may be spent only after appropriation.
(2) The legislature may appropriate moneys in the account only to the department of transportation for the purpose of capital and operating expenditures directly related to the removal of fish passage barriers on land owned or managed by the state department of transportation or for fish passage barrier removal projects directly related to the removal of fish passage barriers undertaken by the state department of transportation as directed by the fish passage barrier removal board pursuant to RCW 77.95.160(3).
Sec. 5. RCW 43.84.092 and 2019 c 421 s 15, 2019 c 403 s 14, 2019 c 365 s 19, 2019 c 287 s 19, and 2019 c 95 s 6 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:
(1) All earnings of investments of surplus balances in the state treasury shall be deposited to the treasury income account, which account is hereby established in the state treasury.
(2) The treasury income account shall be utilized to pay or receive funds associated with federal programs as required by the federal cash management improvement act of 1990. The treasury income account is subject in all respects to chapter 43.88 RCW, but no appropriation is required for refunds or allocations of interest earnings required by the cash management improvement act. Refunds of interest to the federal treasury required under the cash management improvement act fall under RCW 43.88.180 and shall not require appropriation. The office of financial management shall determine the amounts due to or from the federal government pursuant to the cash management improvement act. The office of financial management may direct transfers of funds between accounts as deemed necessary to implement the provisions of the cash management improvement act, and this subsection. Refunds or allocations shall occur prior to the distributions of earnings set forth in subsection (4) of this section.
(3) Except for the provisions of RCW 43.84.160, the treasury income account may be utilized for the payment of purchased banking services on behalf of treasury funds including, but not limited to, depository, safekeeping, and disbursement functions for the state treasury and affected state agencies. The treasury income account is subject in all respects to chapter 43.88 RCW, but no appropriation is required for payments to financial institutions. Payments shall occur prior to distribution of earnings set forth in subsection (4) of this section.
(4) Monthly, the state treasurer shall distribute the earnings credited to the treasury income account. The state treasurer shall credit the general fund with all the earnings credited to the treasury income account except:
(a) The following accounts and funds shall receive their proportionate share of earnings based upon each account's and fund's average daily balance for the period: The abandoned recreational vehicle disposal account, the aeronautics account, the aircraft search and rescue account, the Alaskan Way viaduct replacement project account, the brownfield redevelopment trust fund account, the budget stabilization account, the capital vessel replacement account, the capitol building construction account, the Cedar River channel construction and operation account, the Central Washington University capital projects account, the charitable, educational, penal and reformatory institutions account, the Chehalis basin account, the cleanup settlement account, the Columbia river basin water supply development account, the Columbia river basin taxable bond water supply development account, the Columbia river basin water supply revenue recovery account, the common school construction fund, the community forest trust account, the connecting Washington account, the county arterial preservation account, the county criminal justice assistance account, the deferred compensation administrative account, the deferred compensation principal account, the department of licensing services account, the department of licensing tuition recovery trust fund, the department of retirement systems expense account, the developmental disabilities community trust account, the diesel idle reduction account, the drinking water assistance account, the drinking water assistance administrative account, the early learning facilities development account, the early learning facilities revolving account, the Eastern Washington University capital projects account, the education construction fund, the education legacy trust account, the election account, the electric vehicle account, the energy freedom account, the energy recovery act account, the essential rail assistance account, The Evergreen State College capital projects account, the federal forest revolving account, the ferry bond retirement fund, the fish passage barrier removal account, the freight mobility investment account, the freight mobility multimodal account, the grade crossing protective fund, the public health services account, the state higher education construction account, the higher education construction account, the highway bond retirement fund, the highway infrastructure account, the highway safety fund, the hospital safety net assessment fund, the industrial insurance premium refund account, the Interstate 405 and state route number 167 express toll lanes account, the judges' retirement account, the judicial retirement administrative account, the judicial retirement principal account, the local leasehold excise tax account, the local real estate excise tax account, the local sales and use tax account, the marine resources stewardship trust account, the medical aid account, the mobile home park relocation fund, the money-purchase retirement savings administrative account, the money-purchase retirement savings principal account, the motor vehicle fund, the motorcycle safety education account, the multimodal transportation account, the multiuse roadway safety account, the municipal criminal justice assistance account, the natural resources deposit account, the oyster reserve land account, the pension funding stabilization account, the perpetual surveillance and maintenance account, the pollution liability insurance agency underground storage tank revolving account, the public employees' retirement system plan 1 account, the public employees' retirement system combined plan 2 and plan 3 account, the public facilities construction loan revolving account beginning July 1, 2004, the public health supplemental account, the public works assistance account, the Puget Sound capital construction account, the Puget Sound ferry operations account, the Puget Sound Gateway facility account, the Puget Sound taxpayer accountability account, the real estate appraiser commission account, the recreational vehicle account, the regional mobility grant program account, the resource management cost account, the rural arterial trust account, the rural mobility grant program account, the rural Washington loan fund, the sexual assault prevention and response account, the site closure account, the skilled nursing facility safety net trust fund, the small city pavement and sidewalk account, the special category C account, the special wildlife account, the state employees' insurance account, the state employees' insurance reserve account, the state investment board expense account, the state investment board commingled trust fund accounts, the state patrol highway account, the state route number 520 civil penalties account, the state route number 520 corridor account, the state wildlife account, the statewide broadband account, the statewide tourism marketing account, the student achievement council tuition recovery trust fund, the supplemental pension account, the Tacoma Narrows toll bridge account, the teachers' retirement system plan 1 account, the teachers' retirement system combined plan 2 and plan 3 account, the tobacco prevention and control account, the tobacco settlement account, the toll facility bond retirement account, the transportation 2003 account (nickel account), the transportation equipment fund, the transportation future funding program account, the transportation improvement account, the transportation improvement board bond retirement account, the transportation infrastructure account, the transportation partnership account, the traumatic brain injury account, the tuition recovery trust fund, the University of Washington bond retirement fund, the University of Washington building account, the voluntary cleanup account, the volunteer firefighters' and reserve officers' relief and pension principal fund, the volunteer firefighters' and reserve officers' administrative fund, the vulnerable roadway user education account, the Washington judicial retirement system account, the Washington law enforcement officers' and firefighters' system plan 1 retirement account, the Washington law enforcement officers' and firefighters' system plan 2 retirement account, the Washington public safety employees' plan 2 retirement account, the Washington school employees' retirement system combined plan 2 and 3 account, the Washington state health insurance pool account, the Washington state patrol retirement account, the Washington State University building account, the Washington State University bond retirement fund, the water pollution control revolving administration account, the water pollution control revolving fund, the Western Washington University capital projects account, the Yakima integrated plan implementation account, the Yakima integrated plan implementation revenue recovery account, and the Yakima integrated plan implementation taxable bond account. Earnings derived from investing balances of the agricultural permanent fund, the normal school permanent fund, the permanent common school fund, the scientific permanent fund, the state university permanent fund, and the state reclamation revolving account shall be allocated to their respective beneficiary accounts.
(b) Any state agency that has independent authority over accounts or funds not statutorily required to be held in the state treasury that deposits funds into a fund or account in the state treasury pursuant to an agreement with the office of the state treasurer shall receive its proportionate share of earnings based upon each account's or fund's average daily balance for the period.
(5) In conformance with Article II, section 37 of the state Constitution, no treasury accounts or funds shall be allocated earnings without the specific affirmative directive of this section.
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