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Boat lift fee exemption bill dies in fiscal committee
Thirteenth district state
representatives
Judy Warnick
and Bill
Hinkle today said the bill to remove fees for boat lifts
was killed at the deadline for House bills to be heard in House
committees.
House Bill 1750 would have would have allowed citizens to install
and maintain boat lifts or docks, if they are used for purely
recreational purposes, without being charged a fee.
The bill received approval in the
House Ecology and
Parks Committee, but after a hearing in the
General
Government Appropriations Committee did not receive a vote before
the deadline.
"When the bill was first heard in Ecology and Parks, it sailed out with
nine 'yes' votes, but when it came to General Government Appropriations,
we could not get eight people to vote for it. I was dumbfounded," said
Hinkle, R-Cle Elum. "This is what our constituents want, and I will
continue to request that they not be charged a fee for boat lifts on
their own docks."
In June 2008, dozens of residents contacted the 13th District
legislators with concerns about being charged fees for having boat lifts
on Moses Lake. Warnick and Hinkle worked with then-Commissioner of
Public Lands and head of the Department of Natural Resources, Doug
Sutherland, to hold off on the fee until they could work on the issue in
the Legislature.
"I'm really disappointed this bill was killed," said Warnick, R-Moses
Lake. "The legislative process is more transparent with more opportunity
for public input than there might be if the agency makes the decision.
However, I look forward to working with the agency and the new
Commissioner of Public Lands to remove the current fee. The people have
clearly asked for this, and I hope the agency will follow their will."
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For more information, contact:
Sarah Lamb, Public Information
Officer - (360) 786-7720
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