SENATE BILL REPORT
SHB 1700
As of March 22, 2023
Title: An act relating to establishing a memorial on the capitol campus to commemorate eastern Washington.
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).
Brief History: Passed House: 3/8/23, 97-0.
Committee Activity: State Government & Elections: 3/24/23.
Brief Summary of Bill
  • Specifies criteria for an Eastern Washington Cultural Landscape Feature on the Capitol Campus in Olympia, including specific floral components.
  • Creates a non-appropriated account for the deposit of funds, gifts, and grants to support the establishment and maintenance of the feature.
SENATE COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT & ELECTIONS
Staff: Danielle Creech (786-7412)
Background:

Capitol Campus Memorials.  The Capitol Campus in Olympia is home to 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 Legislature also authorized the creation of a Global War on Terrorism Memorial in 2022.

 

Eastern Washington.  Eastern Washington is home to a number of species of plants and animals 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 restoring 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. Eastern Washington produces roughly 70 percent of the country's production of apples, and Eastern Washington agriculture is responsible for the state being the largest national producer of hops, spearmint oil, and sweet cherries.
Summary of Bill:

Standards are established for an Eastern Washington Cultural Landscape Feature on the Capitol Campus. The feature must recognize the flora and fauna, rich agriculture and forestry, and history of Eastern Washington. The eature 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 feature will be implemented by the State Capitol Committee in consultation with the Department of Enterprise Services and Department of Natural Resources. 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 Secretary of State 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 Secretary of State may authorize expenditures.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Available.
Creates Committee/Commission/Task Force that includes Legislative members: No.
Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.