HOUSE BILL REPORT

HB 1939

BYRepresentatives Haugen, R. King and Kremen

Allowing advertising in department of fisheries' publications.

House Committe on Fisheries & Wildlife

Majority Report:  The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  (8)

      Signed by Representatives R. King, Chair; Morris, Vice Chair; Bowman, Brooks, Cole, Haugen, Smith and Spanel.

House Staff:Robert Butts (786-7841)

AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON FISHERIES & WILDLIFE FEBRUARY 24, 1989

BACKGROUND:

The Department of Fisheries annually publishes a sport fishing guide that contains its regulations for sport salmon, shellfish, and bottomfish fishing.  The documents are printed by the state printer.

The 1988-89 guide was 20 pages in length, and 500,000 copies were printed.  The cost of producing the document was approximately $40,000.

Other informational material also is prepared by the department, such as a guide to sport shellfish opportunities.

SUMMARY:

SUBSTITUTE BILL:  The director of the Department of Fisheries is given the authority to place paid advertisements in the department's regulations pamphlet and other department publications. No more than 50 percent of a publication may be advertisements. Department publications are exempted from requirements that the publications be printed by the public printer.

Funds from the paid advertising shall go into a publications revolving fund.  This fund only may be used to defray publishing costs of the department's informational materials.  Any surplus monies shall be deposited into the state General Fund.

SUBSTITUTE BILL COMPARED TO ORIGINAL:  A provision was deleted that allowed the director to reject advertisements that did not support the agency's mission.  Sections were added to exempt department publications from requirements that the publications be printed by the state printer, and to prohibit more than 50 percent of a publication from being advertisements.

Fiscal Note:      Available.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    Jim King, WA State Sportsmen's Council; Loren Stern, Department of Fisheries.

House Committee - Testified Against:      Paul Conrad, Allied Daily Newspapers.

House Committee - Testimony For:    Publication of informational material is important, but expensive. This bill will allow the department to recover some of its costs.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      It is not appropriate for state agency publications to include advertisements.  Advertising should be done only in private-sector publications.