by
<a href="mailto:carls@awcnet.org">Carl Schroeder</a>, <a href="mailto:shannonm@awcnet.org">Shannon McClelland</a> | Mar 11, 2019
A substitute version of <a target="_blank" href="https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=5873&Chamber=Senate&Year=2019"><strong>SB 5873</strong></a> passed out of the Senate and has turned from an ongoing grant program into a pilot to determine the feasibility of an ongoing grant program for community forests.
A substitute version of SB 5873 passed out of the Senate and has turned from an ongoing grant program into a pilot to determine the feasibility of an ongoing grant program for community forests.
The substitute bill changes the following:
- The program will now be housed within the Recreation and Conservation Funding Board (RCFB), instead of at the Department of Natural Resources.
- The RCFB must establish the pilot project, subject to available funding, by including the highest scoring projects from a 2018 Capital Budget proviso report that contains a list of prioritized community forest projects.
- The RCFB must submit biannual reports to the Legislature summarizing the outcomes of the pilot program, with the first report due October 31, 2020. The pilot program expires June 30, 2025.