JLARC studies

AN ACT Relating to modifying joint legislative audit and review 1
committee studies by extending the sunset act, allowing the extension 2
of timelines for conducting studies, and removing barriers to 3
continuing the sustainable harvest study; and amending RCW 4
43.131.900, 43.131.051, 76.04.516, and 44.28.083. 5
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:6
Sec. 1. RCW 43.131.900 and 2013 c 44 s 2 are each amended to 7
read as follows: 8
RCW 43.131.010 through 43.131.150 expire June 30, ((2025)) 2045, 9
unless extended by law for an additional fixed period of time.10
Sec. 2. RCW 43.131.051 and 2000 c 189 s 4 are each amended to 11
read as follows: 12
The joint legislative audit and review committee shall conduct a 13
program and fiscal review of any entity scheduled for termination 14
under this chapter. This program and fiscal review shall be completed 15
and a preliminary report prepared during the calendar year prior to 16
the date established for termination. These reports shall be prepared 17
in the manner set forth in RCW 44.28.071 and 44.28.075. The 18
legislative auditor, as defined in RCW 44.28.005, must develop and 19
implement criteria to ensure that the staff resources and associated 20
H-0270.1
HOUSE BILL 1372
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session
By Representatives Orcutt, Pollet, Klicker, and Ley
Read first time 01/17/25. Referred to Committee on State Government
& Tribal Relations.
p. 1 HB 1372
costs devoted to program reviews are proportionate to the size and 1
complexity of the program budget. Upon completion of its preliminary 2
report, the joint legislative audit and review committee shall 3
transmit copies of the report to the office of financial management 4
and any affected entity. The final report shall include the response, 5
if any, of the affected entity and the office of financial management 6
in the same manner as set forth in RCW 44.28.088, except the affected 7
entity and the office of financial management shall have sixty days 8
to respond to the report. The joint legislative audit and review 9
committee shall transmit the final report to the legislature, to the 10
state entity affected, to the governor, and to the state library.11
Sec. 3. RCW 76.04.516 and 2022 c 297 s 967 are each amended to 12
read as follows: 13
(1) By December 1st of each even-numbered year, and in compliance 14
with RCW 43.01.036, the department must report to the governor and 15
legislature on the following: 16
(a) The type and amount of the expenditures made, by fiscal year, 17
and for what purpose, from the wildfire response, forest restoration, 18
and community resilience account created in RCW 76.04.511 and from 19
expenditures made from the general fund for implementation of chapter 20
297, Laws of 2022; 21
(b) The amount of unexpended and unobligated funds in the 22
wildfire response, forest restoration, and community resilience 23
account and recommendations for the disbursement to local districts;24
(c) Progress on implementation of the wildland fire protection 25
10-year strategic plan including, but not limited to, how investments 26
are reducing human-caused wildfire starts, lowering the size and 27
scale and geography of catastrophic wildfires, reducing the 28
communities, landscapes, and population at risk, and creating 29
resilient landscapes and communities; 30
(d) Progress on implementation of the 20-year forest health 31
strategic plan as established through the forest health assessment 32
and treatment framework pursuant to RCW 76.06.200 including, but not 33
limited to: Assessment of fire prone lands and communities that are 34
in need of forest health treatments; forest health treatments 35
prioritized and conducted by landowner type, geography, and risk 36
level; estimated value of any merchantable materials from forest 37
health treatments; and number of acres treated by treatment type, 38
including the use of prescribed fire; 39
p. 2 HB 1372
(e) Progress on developing markets for forest residuals and 1
biomass generated from forest health treatments. 2
(2) The department must include recommendations on any 3
adjustments that may be necessary or advisable to the mechanism of 4
funding dispensation as created under chapter 298, Laws of 2021.5
(3) The report required in this section should support existing 6
department assessments pursuant to RCW 79.10.530 and 76.06.200.7
(4)(a)(i) Prior to the determination of the 2025-2034 sustainable 8
harvest calculation as required by RCW 79.10.320, the department must 9
hire an independent third-party contractor to assist it in updating 10
its forest inventory by increasing the intensity of forest sample 11
plots on all forestlands over the next two biennium. The department's 12
sustainable harvest calculation technical advisory committee must be 13
involved in the design, development, and implementation of this 14
forest inventory update. 15
(ii) For purposes of this subsection, "forest inventory" means 16
the collection of sample data to estimate a range of forest 17
attributes including, but not limited to, standing volume, stored 18
carbon, habitat attributes, age classes, tree species, and other 19
inventory attributes, including information needed to estimate rates 20
of tree growth and associated carbon sequestration on department 21
lands. 22
(iii) The department's sustainable harvest calculation technical 23
advisory committee must bring forward recommendations for regular 24
maintenance and updates to the forest inventory on a ten-year basis.25
(b) Prior to the determination of the 2025-2034 sustainable 26
harvest calculation as required by RCW 79.10.320, the department must 27
hire a third-party contractor to review, analyze, and advise the 28
department's forest growth and yield modeling, specific to all types 29
of forested acres managed by the department. The department's 30
sustainable harvest calculation technical advisory committee must be 31
involved in the design, review, and analysis of the department's 32
forest growth and yield modeling. 33
(c) Prior to the determination of the 2025-2034 sustainable 34
harvest calculation as required by RCW 79.10.320 ((and in the absence 35
of any litigation, pending or in progress, against the department's 36
sustainable harvest calculation )), the joint legislative audit and 37
review committee established in chapter 44.28 RCW must oversee and 38
conduct an independent review of the methodologies and data being 39
utilized by the department in the development of the sustainable 40
p. 3 HB 1372
harvest calculation, including the associated forest inventory, 1
forest growth, harvest and yield data, and modeling techniques that 2
impact harvest levels. In carrying out the review, the joint 3
legislative audit and review committee shall: 4
(i) Retain one or more contractors with expertise in forest 5
inventories, forest growth and yield modeling, and operational 6
research modeling in forest harvest scheduling to conduct the 7
technical review; 8
(ii) Be a member of department's sustainable harvest calculation 9
technical advisory committee, along with one of its contractors 10
selected in (c)(i) of this subsection; and 11
(iii) Prior to the department's determination of the sustainable 12
harvest calculation under RCW 79.10.320, ensure that a completed 13
independent review and report with findings and recommendations is 14
submitted to the board of natural resources and the legislature.15
(d) Upon receiving the report from the joint legislative audit 16
and review committee required under (c)(iii) of this subsection, the 17
board of natural resources shall determine whether modifications are 18
necessary to the sustainable harvest calculation prior to approving 19
harvest level under RCW 79.10.320. 20
Sec. 4. RCW 44.28.083 and 2010 c 26 s 3 are each amended to read 21
as follows: 22
(1) At the conclusion of the regular legislative session of each 23
odd-numbered year, the joint legislative audit and review committee 24
shall develop and approve a performance audit work plan for the 25
ensuing biennium. The biennial work plan may be modified, as 26
necessary, at the conclusion of other legislative sessions to reflect 27
actions taken by the legislature and the joint committee. The work 28
plan shall include a description of each performance audit, and the 29
cost of completing the audits on the work plan shall be limited to 30
the funds appropriated to the joint committee. Approved performance 31
audit work plans shall be transmitted to the entire legislature by 32
July 1st following the conclusion of each regular session of an odd-33
numbered year and as soon as practical following other legislative 34
sessions. 35
(2) Among the factors to be considered in preparing the work 36
plans are: 37
(a) Whether a program newly created or significantly altered by 38
the legislature warrants continued oversight because (i) the fiscal 39
p. 4 HB 1372
impact of the program is significant, or (ii) the program represents 1
a relatively high degree of risk in terms of reaching the stated 2
goals and objectives for that program; 3
(b) Whether implementation of an existing program has failed to 4
meet its goals and objectives by any significant degree;5
(c) Whether a follow-up audit would help ensure that previously 6
identified recommendations for improvements were being implemented; 7
((and))8
(d) Whether an assignment for the joint committee to conduct a 9
performance audit has been mandated in legislation; and10
(e) Whether a planned review that is part of a mandated, 11
recurring study would provide the legislature with new or additional 12
information. 13
(3) The legislative auditor may consult with the chairs and staff 14
of appropriate legislative committees, the state auditor, and the 15
director of financial management in developing the performance audit 16
work plan. 17
--- END ---
p. 5 HB 1372