HOUSE BILL REPORT
SB 5295
As Reported by House Committee On:
Appropriations
Title: An act relating to eliminating accounts.
Brief Description: Eliminating accounts.
Sponsors: Senators Wilson, L., Rolfes and Gildon; by request of Office of Financial Management.
Brief History:
Committee Activity:
Appropriations: 3/9/23, 3/15/23 [DP].
Brief Summary of Bill
  • Eliminates certain accounts.
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Majority Report: Do pass.Signed by 28 members:Representatives Ormsby, Chair; Bergquist, Vice Chair; Gregerson, Vice Chair; Macri, Vice Chair; Chambers, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Corry, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Chopp, Connors, Couture, Davis, Dye, Fitzgibbon, Hansen, Harris, Lekanoff, Pollet, Riccelli, Rude, Ryu, Sandlin, Schmick, Senn, Simmons, Slatter, Springer, Steele, Stonier and Tharinger.
Staff: Mary Mulholland (786-7391).
Background:

In addition to the State General Fund, which may be expended for any lawful purpose, the state maintains several hundred accounts that are dedicated to particular statutory purposes.  State law requires the State Treasurer, in each odd-numbered year, to provide the Office of Financial Management a list of any accounts believed to be obsolete.


The State Finance Committee is comprised of the State Treasurer, the Lieutenant Governor, and the Governor.


Reinvesting in Youth Account.
The Reinvesting in Youth Account receives revenue when moneys are appropriated to it by the Legislature.  Expenditures may be used to reimburse local governments for the implementation of the statutory Reinvesting in Youth Program, which awards grants to counties for implementing research-based early intervention services for juvenile justice-involved youth, subject to amounts appropriated for this purpose.  No expenditures have been made from the Reinvesting in Youth Account since the 2013-15 biennium and it currently has a balance of zero dollars.


Public Health Services Account.
The Public Health Services Account may be expended for improving the health of Washington residents through the public health system.  There are no specific revenue sources for the Public Health Services Account in statute.  No expenditures have been made from the Public Health Services Account since before the 2013-15 biennium and it currently has a balance of zero dollars.

 

State Higher Education Construction Account.
The State Higher Education Construction Account contains the proceeds from grants, donations, transferred funds, and other moneys that the State Finance Committee may direct the State Treasurer to deposit in it.  No specific allowable uses of the State Higher Education Construction Account are defined in statute.  No expenditures have been made from the State Higher Education Construction Account since the 2013-15 biennium and it currently has a balance of $2,000.


Higher Education Construction Account.
The Higher Education Construction Account contains the proceeds from grants, donations, transferred funds, and other moneys that the State Finance Committee or the board of regents or board of trustees of any state higher education institutions may direct the State Treasurer to deposit in it.  No expenditures have been made from the Higher Education Construction Account since before the 2013-15 biennium and it currently has a balance of zero dollars.


Higher Education Reimbursable Short-Term Bond Account.
The Higher Education Reimbursable Short-Term Bond Account may be used exclusively to provide funding to the University of Washington and state community colleges to perform capital projects and to provide for the administrative cost of such projects.  There are no specific revenue sources for the Higher Education Reimbursable Short-Term Bond Account in statute.  The account has not been active since 1992 and has a balance of zero dollars.

 

Fisheries Capital Projects Account.
The Fisheries Capital Projects Account contains the proceeds from all grants, donations, transferred funds, and other moneys that the State Finance Committee may direct the State Treasurer to deposit in it.  The Fisheries Capital Projects Account may be used exclusively to provide capital improvements consisting of the acquisition, construction, remodeling, furnishing, and equipping of state buildings and facilities for the Department of Fish and Wildlife.  The account has not been active since 1992 and has a balance of zero dollars.

 

Water Quality Capital Account.
The Water Quality Capital Account may be used to make grants or loans to public entities as cost-sharing moneys in any cases where federal, local, or other moneys are available on a cost-sharing basis for the capital component of water pollution control facilities and activities; to assist a public entity to obtain an ownership interest in water pollution control facilities; or to defray any part of the capital component of the payments made by a public entity to a service provider under a service agreement entered into for water pollution control facilities under statute.  The Water Quality Capital Account has no specific revenue sources identified in statute and has a balance of $34,000.  No expenditures have been made from the account since the 2013-15 biennium.

 

Stadium and Exhibition Center Construction Account.
The Stadium and Exhibition Center Construction Account contains the proceeds from the sale of general obligation bonds issued by the State Finance Committee to pay for expenses associated with creating the Seattle Seahawks Stadium, now Lumen field, under Referendum 48 in 1997.  Expenditures from the account may be used exclusively for the creation and equipping of the stadium and to reimburse the county or public stadium authority for its expenditures, or to repay other indebtedness incurred for these purposes.

 

No expenditures have been made from the Stadium and Exhibition Center Construction Account since the 2015-17 biennium, and it is currently projected to have a balance of $773,000 at the end of the 2021-23 biennium.

 

Salmon Recovery Account.
The Salmon Recovery Account may be used for salmon recovery purposes.

 

Community and Technical College Capital Projects Account.

The Community and Technical College Capital Projects Account may be used to pay and secure the payment of the principal of interest on certain bonds and for construction and related costs of buildings and other capital assets owned by the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. 

Summary of Bill:

The following accounts are eliminated effective July 1, 2023, the:

  • Reinvesting in Youth Account;
  • Public Health Services Account;
  • State Higher Education Construction Account;
  • Higher Education Construction Account;
  • Higher Education Reimbursable Short-Term Bond Account;
  • Fisheries Capital Projects Account;
  • Water Quality Capital Account; and
  • Stadium and Exhibition Center Construction Account.

 

The residual balances in the above accounts shall be transferred as follows on or before June 30, 2023:

  • the Water Quality Capital Account to the Salmon Recovery Account;
  • the Higher Education Construction Account and the State Higher Education Construction Account to the Community and Technical Colleges Capital Projects Account; and
  • all other eliminated accounts listed above to the State General Fund.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Not requested.
Effective Date: Section 5 of the bill contains and emergency clause and takes effect immediately. Sections 1 through 3, and 7 of the act contain an emergency clause and take effect on July 1, 2023. Section 4 of the bill takes effect July 1, 2024.
Staff Summary of Public Testimony:

(In support) The Appropriations Committee has already voted out the companion bill.   This bill is truly a technical cleanup bill.

 

(Opposed) None.

Persons Testifying: K.D. Chapman-See, Office of Financial Management.
Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying: None.