FINAL BILL REPORT
SHB 1700
C 302 L 23
Synopsis as Enacted
Brief Description: Establishing a cultural landscape feature on the capitol campus to commemorate eastern Washington.
Sponsors: House Committee on State Government & Tribal Relations (originally sponsored by Representatives Kretz, Chapman, Dent, Barnard, Ormsby and Timmons).
House Committee on State Government & Tribal Relations
Senate Committee on State Government & Elections
Background:

The Capitol Campus in Olympia features many memorials for various events and groups of people.  These include the World War II Memorial, the Law Enforcement Memorial, the Prisoners of War/Missing in Action Memorial, the Medal of Honor Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and the Korean War Memorial.  The creation of a Global War on Terrorism Memorial was authorized in 2022.

 

Eastern Washington is home many species of plants and animals that are not generally found west of the crest of the Cascade Mountains.  These include:

  • Ponderosa Pine trees, a towering conifer with long needles that has bark smelling of vanilla or butterscotch when scratched;
  • Greater Sage-Grouse, a large and intricately plumaged ground-dwelling bird known for its elaborate courtship displays that involve strutting performances; and
  • Gray Wolves, a keystone species responsible for supporting healthy ecosystems through a trophic cascade that benefits numerous other species from songbirds and beavers to fish and butterflies.

 

Early settlements by European-Americans in Eastern Washington were located in the Walla Walla Valley and were primarily agricultural with a missionary focus on converting local Native Americans.  The first chapter in this history was punctuated by a number of violent conflicts between settlers and the tribes.  Currently, Eastern Washington produces roughly 70 percent of the country's apples, and Eastern Washington agriculture is responsible for the state being the largest national producer of hops, spearmint oil, and sweet cherries.

Summary:

Standards for an Eastern Washington Cultural Landscape Feature (Feature) on the Capitol Campus are established.  The Feature must recognize the flora and fauna, rich agriculture and forestry, and history of Eastern Washington.  The Feature must include Ponderosa Pine, Quaking Aspen, and Western Larch trees, or other site-adapted species.  The design of the Feature must celebrate Eastern Washington's unique beauty, agricultural significance, and history.

 

The State Capitol Committee, in consultation with the Department of Enterprise Services (DES) and Department of Natural Resources, is responsible for implementing the Feature.  A Washington State Eastern Washington Cultural Landscape Feature Account (Account) is created in the custody of the State Treasurer to support the establishment and maintenance of the Feature.  The DES may solicit and accept gifts, grants, or endowments for this purpose, which must be deposited into the Account.  The Account is subject to allotment but not appropriation, and only the DES may authorize expenditures.

Votes on Final Passage:
House 97 0
Senate 49 0 (Senate amended)
House 98 0 (House concurred)
Effective:

July 23, 2023