OLYMPIA — The Columbia River Gorge may not be in his district, but Rep. Kevin Van De Wege cleared his first major hurdle last week to eliminating a bi-state agreement that governs land use along the natural landmark.
House Bill 3132, introduced by Van De Wege, who is one of three North Olympic Peninsula representatives in the state Legislature, directs Gov. Chris Gregoire to either remove the state from the Columbia River Gorge Compact made between Washington and Oregon in 1986 or renegotiate the agreement.
It passed the House in a 92-6 vote Thursday. The bill must be passed by the Senate and signed by the governor to become law.
The intent of eliminating or renegotiating the compact is to save the state money, Van De Wege said.
Initially, the bill had more teeth and required the state to eliminate the contract. It was amended to keep renegotiation as an option.
“It doesn’t require the commission to go immediately away,” said Van De Wege, D-Sequim. “It requires the governor to take a look at having the commission going completely away.”
Under the compact, land use in the 300,000-acre federal scenic area is managed by a 13-member commission made up of people representing the two states and one nonvoting member from the U.S. Forest Service. Both states also fund the commission.
Washington’s bill this year for the commission will be about $212,500, according to gorge commission Executive Director Jill Arens.
The expense, although certainly not high on the state’s list of expenses, is what motivated Van De Wege to remove the state from the agreement, the representative said, to help resolve Washington’s $2.8 billion deficit.
Van De Wege said that, based on research conducted by his staff, the federal government would be required to fund the commission if the state steps out of it, but Arens said last month that she didn’t think that was the case.
He has introduced other legislation to scale back state-funded committees, such as the Growth Management Hearing boards.
Eight House members represent districts that include portions of the scenic area. Two — Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, and Bruce Chandler, R-Granger — voted against the bill, while the other six voted for it.
Van De Wege represents the 24th District — which includes Clallam and Jefferson counties and a portion of Grays Harbor County — along with House Majority Leader Lynn Kessler, D-Hoquiam, and Sen. Jim Hargrove, D-Hoquiam.
Friday was the deadline for nonbudget-related bills to be passed out of both chambers for this session.
Two of Van De Wege’s nonbudget bills met the deadline last week:
• House Bill 2481 authorizes the state Department of Natural Resources to sell forest biomass. It passed the Senate in a 47-0 vote Wednesday.
• House Joint Memorial 4004 names state Highway 110 between Forks and LaPush “Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm Memorial Highway.” It passed the Senate in a 44-1 vote Tuesday. Hargrove voted yes.
Hargrove had several bills pass the House last week:
• Senate Bill 6832 extends the Jan. 1, 2011, deadline by which the state Department of Social and Health Services must outsource child welfare services through performance-based contracts. The new deadline would be July 1, 2011. It passed the House in a 95-1 vote Feb. 28. Van De Wege and Kessler voted yes. (Hargrove introduced the bill that passed last year requiring performance-based contracts for child welfare services.)
• Senate Bill 6561 restricts access to juvenile offender records within a month after they turn 18 if they were convicted of Class B or C, gross misdemeanor and misdemeanor offenses if they were not convicted of a sexual-related offense and don’t have charges pending. It passed the House in a 59-38 vote Tuesday. Van De Wege and Kessler voted yes.
• Senate Bill 6610 creates a public safety review panel to review treatment and release of people found not guilty of a crime by reason of insanity. It passed the House in a 97-0 vote Tuesday.
• Senate Bill 6548 allows the state to suspend parole of someone convicted of a crime in another state if they are charged with a crime in Washington. Hargrove introduced it in response to the Lakewood police killings last year. The state could not suspend the parole of suspected shooter, Maurice Clemmons, even though he was charged with a crime in Washington state, because he hadn’t been convicted here. It passed the House in a 94-0 vote Feb. 28.
Kessler didn’t have any bills passed last week.
On Feb. 26, the Senate Human Services and Corrections Committee, which Hargrove chairs, amended a bill to change how the state provides financial assistance to those who can’t work due to a physical or mental ailment.
The state currently provides a $339 per month grant to those who qualify, but the amendment to House Bill 2782 would reduce that to $50 per month but also provide a housing voucher.
Hargrove said the amendment is intended to ensure that the money is spent on housing.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.