OLYMPIA — Habitat restoration in the Puget Sound basin would be expanded under a bill that cleared its last legislative hurdle last week.
The bill, introduced by Rep. Steve Tharinger, D-Sequim, establishes the Puget Sound Corps.
It passed the state Senate 38-9 on Tuesday and has been sent to Gov. Chris Gregoire to be signed into law.
The state Department of Ecology will use a federal grant to fund work crews made up of veterans and the unemployed to restore river banks, remove noxious weeds and do other restoration work in the Puget Sound area, Tharinger said.
The money comes from a $12 million grant funneled through the state’s Puget Sound Partnership, he said.
Tharinger sits on PSP’s ecosystem coordination board and chairs its salmon recovery council.
Bridget Moran, state Department of Natural Resources deputy supervisor, told a House committee that the bill will use $4 million from the federal grant and create 150 jobs, according to a House bill report.
Tharinger called it a win-win for the environment and unemployed.
“People may be unemployed or disabled or veterans that may be sitting on a couch, can’t find something they are really interested in, and this is something . . . [that allows] them to learn skills and do something they enjoy and might pursue in a career,” he said.
The grant is supposed to last three years, Tharinger said.
The freshman representative said he hopes the Puget Sound Corps, to be part of the existing Washington Conservation Corps, can “raise the profile” of the program in order to better seek foundation funding. Otherwise, the state may have to seek federal funding again to continue the Puget Sound Corps, he said.
The bill also consolidates the WCC under the management of the state Department of Ecology.
Same-sex marriages
Last week, the Legislature passed a bill that grants the same legal rights and protections to same-sex couples married in other states.
Sen. Jim Hargrove, a North Olympic Peninsula representative, was one of two Democrats who voted against the bill.
Hargrove acknowledged that his opposition to same-sex marriage was the “bottom line” but said he mainly voted against the bill because he didn’t think it was clear how legal rights differ from state to state and how they apply to Washington.
“So it’s really kind of just shooting blind,” he said.
Hargrove and Tharinger represent the 24th District along with House Majority Whip Kevin Van De Wege, D-Sequim. The district includes Clallam and Jefferson counties and a portion of Grays Harbor County.
Hargrove’s bill that requires law enforcement officers to be trained on how to avoid profiling motorcycle riders passed the House last week 48-0.
It will be sent to be signed by Gregoire.
Van De Wege and Tharinger voted yes.
Some of the other noteworthy bills to pass the Senate last week include:
■ House Bill 2012, to create a liquor-sampling pilot program for state-run liquor stores.
The bill passed the Senate 31-17 Wednesday; Hargrove voted no.
■ House Bill 1362, creating the Foreclosure Fairness Act.
The bill passed the Senate 36-11 Tuesday; Hargrove voted yes.
■ House Bill 1103, to prohibit the use of television monitors in view of a driver when the vehicle is in motion.
The bill passed the Senate 48-0 Friday; Hargrove voted yes.
________
Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
