AN ACT Relating to public broadcasting; adding new sections to chapter 43.63A RCW; and creating a new section.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that public broadcasting creates a cultural and educational environment that is important to the citizens of the state. The legislature also finds that it is in the public interest to provide state support to bring cultural, educational, and public affairs broadcasting services to the citizens of the state.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 43.63A RCW to read as follows:

The department of community development shall distribute grants to eligible public radio and television broadcast stations under sections 3 and 4 of this act to assist with programming, operations, and capital needs.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. A new section is added to chapter 43.63A RCW to read as follows:

(1) Eligibility for grants under this section shall be limited to broadcast stations which are:

(a) Licensed to Washington state organizations, nonprofit corporations, or other entities under section 73.621 of the regulations of the federal communications commission; and

(b) Qualified to receive community service grants from the federally chartered corporation for public broadcasting. Eligibility shall be established as of February 28th of each year.

(2) The formula in this subsection shall be used to compute the amount of each eligible station's grant under this section.

(a) Appropriations under this section shall be divided into a radio fund, which shall be twenty-five percent of the total appropriation under this section, and a television fund, which shall be seventy-five percent of the total appropriation under this section. Each of the two funds shall be divided into a base grant pool, which shall be fifty percent of the fund, and an incentive grant pool, which shall be the remaining fifty percent of the fund.

(b) Each eligible participating public radio station shall receive an equal share of the radio base grant pool, plus a share of the radio incentive grant pool equal to the proportion its nonfederal financial support bears to the sum of all participating radio stations' nonfederal financial support as most recently reported to the corporation for public broadcasting.

(c) Each eligible participating public television station shall receive an equal share of the television base grant pool, plus a share of the television incentive grant pool equal to the proportion its nonfederal financial support bears to the sum of all participating television stations' nonfederal financial support as most recently reported to the corporation for public broadcasting.

(3) Annual financial reports to the corporation for public broadcasting by eligible stations shall also be submitted by the stations to the department of community development.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. A new section is added to chapter 43.63A RCW to read as follows:

(1) Eligibility for grants under this section shall be limited to broadcast stations that:

(a) Have a noncommercial educational license granted by the federal communications commission;

(b) Are not eligible under section 3 of this act;

(c) Have a permanent employee who is assigned operational management responsibility for the station and who is not compensated with moneys granted under this section;

(d) Meet the operating schedule requirements of the station's federal broadcast license;

(e) Have facilities and equipment that allow for program origination and production;

(f) Have a daily broadcast schedule devoted primarily to serving the educational, informational, and cultural needs of the community within its primary service area. The programming shall be intended for a general audience and not designed to further a particular religious philosophy or political organization;

(g) Originate a locally produced program service designed to serve the community;

(h) Maintain financial records in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles; and

(i) Complete an eligibility criteria statement and annual financial survey pursuant to rules adopted by the department of community development.

(2) (a) A grant of up to ten thousand dollars per year may be made under this section to those eligible stations operating at least twelve hours per day, three hundred sixty-five days each year, with transmitting facilities developed to the maximum combination of effective radiated power and antenna height possible under the station's federal communications commission license.

(b) A grant of up to eight thousand dollars per year may be made under this section to those eligible stations operating at least twelve hours per day, three hundred sixty-five days each year, with transmitting facilities not fully developed under federal communications commission rules.

(c) A grant of up to five thousand dollars per year may be made under this section to those eligible stations operating less than twelve hours per day, three hundred sixty-five days each year, with transmitting facilities developed to the maximum combination of effective radiated power and antenna height possible under the station's federal communications commission license.

(d) A grant of up to one thousand five hundred dollars per year may be made under this section to those eligible stations not meeting the requirements of (a), (b), or (c) of this subsection.

(3) Funding received under this section is specifically for the support of public broadcast operations and facilities improvements which benefit the general community. No funds received under this section may be used for any other purposes by licensees of eligible stations.

(4) Any portion of the appropriation not expended under this section shall be transferred for expenditure under section 3 of this act.