WDFW Merger

[sakoshooter]

WDFW Merger bill passes out of Senate Natural Resources Committee on a slim 4-3 vote.


Earlier this week, the Senate Natural Resources and Marine Environment Committee approved an amended version of SB 5669. The revised bill, SSB 5669, would merge WDFW, Parks and the Recreation Coordination Office (RCO) into a super agency called the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Recreation. The bill now moves on to the Senate Ways and Means Committee. Several significant changes were made to the original bill, but the substitute bill still has many crucial deficiencies.

The most important change for recreational anglers was the Committee’s decision to amend SB 5669 to retain the Fish and Wildlife Commission’s current policy and rulemaking authority. You will recall, the original bill made the Commission “advisory” only. A huge turnout from members of CCA and other organizations at the Senate Committee hearing and thousands of emails to legislators helped make this change possible.

Despite this change, CCA continues to remain very concerned about the impact the substitute bill would have on WDFW and how it significantly limits the Commission’s authority to appoint the Director of Fish and Wildlife. Under SSB 5669, the Governor would select a Secretary of the new Department from a list of 5 candidates jointly submitted by the Fish and Wildlife Commission and the Parks Commission. The Governor’s nominee would also require Senate confirmation, which gives the Senate veto power of the appointment.

Without the authority for the Commission to hold the director accountable for implementation of their policies; that policy authority is significantly weakened. As such, the bill still substantially eliminates the essence of the voter mandate of the citizens embodied in Referendum 45 in 1995. The confusion and conflicting mandates within a new merged department could also harm WDFW’s budget, conservation efforts and fisheries programs, including selective fisheries implementation.

Financial estimates from the Governor’s Office indicate that the merger will save less than $2.5 million per year. Over half of these potential “savings” are achieved by merely transferring costs between departments! It is entirely possible that the merger could result in increased costs for the state. In terms of saving taxpayer dollars, it just doesn’t add up!

CCA Washington urges you to continue communicating with your legislators expressing your continued opposition to the merger and SSB 5669. If your legislator responded to your previous email please consider following up to remind them of your continued concern. Below is a list of issues for you to consider raising:
Estimates from the Governor’s office indicate the merger will save less than $2.5 million per year. Half of these “savings” are merely achieved by transferring costs between departments. It could actually end up costing the state money given the complexities of a merger.
The merger will likely harm all agencies through lost efficiencies and neglect of key agency functions. It took over a decade for WDFW to adjust to the merger of the Game and Fisheries Departments in 1994.
The missions of the Parks Department , RCO and WDFW are completely different. A larger, merged department may lose focus on fish and wildlife conservation needs, including generating and managing mark selective fisheries and efforts to save and restore wild salmon and steelhead runs now in peril.
Hunters and anglers are already generating a huge portion of WDFW’s budgets through their purchase of fishing and hunting licenses. A license fee increase bill has already been introduced to increase license fees to meet funding shortfalls at WDFW. Since the Governor has proposed completely cutting state funding for the Parks Department, WDFW’s budget could potentially subsidize functions of the Parks Department.
The current WDFW and Commission structure has successfully reduced the ability of special interests to affect critical WDFW policies, conservation and resource management efforts. The merger proposal is likely to increase the influence of politics in natural resource management.
This bill could be scheduled for a public hearing in the Senate Ways and Means committee at any time. Your continued advocacy is critical. We will update you on any key developments.
 

[Elkaholic daWg]

 Thanks for the information. We ALL need to keep bombarding our legislators!!

 From Val Stevens 2/23



 
"Senate Bill 5669, Consolidating natural resources agencies and programs, has been referred to the Senate Ways & Means Committee for consideration.  Bills in this committee must pass no later than February 25 in order to be considered further this session.
 
Please feel free to stay in contact with my office for further updates on SB5669."
 

[Special T]

FOLLOW THE MONEY! If it isn't about saving $$$ it must be about something else...

[Elkaholic daWg]

 From The Reel News... editors Creel.
 There was an article of theirs on here a while back.... here it is

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,16717.150.html

 Anyway here's their take, although he still seems to think DNR is in the mix, not the even worse State parks




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What Makes Consolidation

An Option And Why?

James A. Goerg
 

Washington State’s Governor Christine Gregoire, in cooperation with her legislative friends, has successfully transformed the state’s budget into a long shadow of despair and emergency, striking panic into the good citizens of the state. Along with that her departments will also suffer and it is starting to hit home within our outdoor resources and recreation opportunities.

We don’t think to often about the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in that they haven’t really been involved with the regulations of fishing and hunting, season settings, selective fishing, the endangered salmon and steelhead, tribal or commercial or recreational fishing issues. Now the thoughts have been initiated that maybe the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) should be melted and stirred in with DNR. And my question is why? What makes that a viable option in recovery of economy for the state? It would eliminate the F&W Commission, which is basically volunteers without a salary or pension. No savings there. There would still be the required state employees and square footage of space to house both departments. Besides, have we ever seen DNR make any better resource decisions than WDFW makes? Maybe even worse?

In mid-January a concerned reader called and told me his Horesmen’s Association had information that DNR submitted a proposal for all of Washington’s DNR lands to be closed to the general public and citizens of Washington State for their pursuit of outdoor recreation, including use of roads and trails for fishing, hunting, hiking, horses, ATVs, motorcycles, RVs, etc.

I contacted the Commissioner of Public Lands, Peter Goldmark, and inquired about the proposal. His reply stated, “These are difficult times and all state programs, including DNR’s recreation program, are facing an uncertain future due to the current budget crisis. DNR has made no decisions regarding recreation site closures, nor will decisions be made until after the legislature and Governor have approved the 2011-2013 budget this spring. The Governor has proposed to zero out funding for recreational programs.”

Zero out funding for recreational programs???!!! I don’t like that answer.

Goldmark went on to say, “One of the primary reasons DNR recreation sites are as good as they are, is the countless hours volunteers spend assisting our staff to improve and maintain them. We rely upon this valuable partnership to help us enhance the public’s recreational opportunities.”

Well, all that is good and fine but now, reading between the lines, will there be the threat that those volunteers will also need to be financing their labors too? To allow for recreation, will DNR be putting toll booths at the entrance to public lands?

After taking a deep breath on that one we now have learned that the small population of Puget Sound commercial crabbers are still POed about the huge population of recreational crabbers getting a little bit larger piece of the pie this year. For some reason they went to DNR with complaints and looking for sympathy. DNR (Senator Kevin Ranker) formed a committee to review the new crabbing policy, brought in WDFW to explain the policy, and then gagged them with short-cuts while hammering them with questions.

Can you imagine that if DNR has the power to overturn WDFW’s Commission and the departments new policy on this one, just what will happen if the two departments are married?

Another one of our readers wrote us commenting, “If WDFW is absorbed by DNR, maybe no future steelhead program, increased licenses, doom and gloom for fishing and hunting? The state buys land, takes it off the tax rolls and my property taxes go up.”

And now, in compliance with “The Good Ol’ Girls Marble Halls Club”, Senator Mary Margaret Haugen (360-786-7618) has initiated SB 5249 to consolidate fish and wildlife law enforcement officers into the Washington State Patrol. Why? Why? Why?

Mary, if it ain’t broken stop trying to fix it…or at least go after the one who struck you into the panic mode in the first place. Leave these agencies alone!

And a final comment from a TRNer, “Maybe we need to consider consolidating the governor’s office with the Puget Sound Anglers. I suspect PSA has more resources and certainly more common sense.”
.

[Elkaholic daWg]

 Commission position.....


Contact the Commission

Mailing Address
600 Capitol Way N.
Olympia, WA 98501-1091

Phone: 360-902-2267
Fax: 360-902-2448
commission@dfw.wa.gov

Miranda Wecker, Chair
Gary Douvia, Vice Chair
   
 

Fish and Wildlife Commission
Statement on Senate Bill 5669
Approved Feb. 18, 2011

The Fish and Wildlife Commission believes that the Governor has demonstrated true leadership in proposing significant government reform measures. The budget crisis facing the state is without precedent. Hard choices must be faced. Every reasonable means to increase the efficiency and productivity of government agencies should be explored. It is with respect that the Commission offers these perspectives on the provisions of SB 5669 proposing the merger of natural resource agencies.

Changes to the Commission Role

The Commission is opposed to changes to the Commission authority proposed in SB 5669 which would reverse the will of the majority of the people as reflected in Referendum 45. Following the popular vote approving Referendum 45, the Legislature endorsed the special role of the Fish and Wildlife Commission as an “open and deliberative process that encourages public involvement and increases public confidence in department decision making” (RCW 77.04.013).

The popular vote demonstrated that the public wants this unique access to fish and wildlife decision-makers and wants greater openness and transparency in fish and wildlife decision-making. The people made it clear that without access and openness, their confidence in decision-making will be undermined. The special importance voters placed on decisions affecting fish and wildlife is self-evident in the results of the vote: the referendum was approved by over 60% and passed in every county of the state.

SB 5669 eliminates all aspects of the Commission’s authority—its power to appoint and remove the Director as well as its authority to set regulations. Both elements of its power are essential if the Commission, as the people intended, is to establish policy for the agency and hold the agency accountable for its implementation. If approved, the role of the Commission would be reduced to one that is advisory in nature.

Citizens in this state, and in almost every other state in the country, have put their trust in the Commission process as a way to reduce the influence of politics on natural resource management. No public policy issue can be fully insulated from the political process. Nevertheless, management of the public’s natural heritage of resources is widely seen as falling in a special category. In this arena more than others, it is most important to limit the influence of short sighted thinking, narrow special interests, and shifting electoral politics. The long-term view and the public trust must be safeguarded.

Merger of the Departments

The Commission expresses deep concern about the added administrative burdens associated with the merger proposed in this legislation. The Department has relatively recent experience with the very real and costly logistical and procedural hurdles presented by a major merger. When agencies are merged, a great deal of time must be spent in meetings focused on a range of procedural questions that must be addressed. Procedural matters take center stage, reducing the time spent achieving the agency’s mission. New lines of authority have to be established. In some cases, the challenges of integration take many years to truly address the complexities of integration. In some cases, a dominant unit emerges and the program of the subordinate agency loses its ability to advance its interests.

The cost savings identified in the bill are relatively small in light of the substantial reorganizational effort that a merger would entail.

In recent years, budget cuts have taken their toll on staff numbers. The Department has fewer employees with which to achieve our mission.  The remaining staff are being asked to do more and more. The Commission holds serious reservations regarding the expenditure of significant staff time and resources on the many administrative issues that will need to be resolved if a merger takes place.
 

[Elkaholic daWg]

 Anyone have any recent news. Looks like it could be dead. I see where the 1st substitute bill seems to keep DFW commissions powers intact. Still hope it's dead!!!!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5669  Looks like ways and means didn't  like it on  Feb 21.

 As of March 3

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=5669&year=2011

History of Bill
as of Thursday, March 3, 2011 8:38 AM

    Sponsors:   Senators Ranker, Swecker, Regala, Rockefeller, Nelson, White, Pflug, Shin
    By Request:   Governor Gregoire
    Companion Bill:   HB 1850
 
    2011 REGULAR SESSION
        Feb 4    First reading, referred to Natural Resources & Marine Waters. (View Original Bill)
        Feb 10    Public hearing in the Senate Committee on Natural Resources & Marine Waters at 1:30 PM. (Committee Materials)
        Feb 21    Executive action taken in the Senate Committee on Natural Resources & Marine Waters at 1:30 PM. (Committee Materials)
            NRMW - Majority; 1st substitute bill be substituted, do pass. (View 1st Substitute) (Majority Report)
            And refer to Ways & Means.
            Minority; do not pass. (Minority Report)
            Minority; without recommendation. (Minority Report)
            Referred to Ways & Means.

Go to history...

Available Documents
Bill Documents   Bill Digests   Bill Reports
Original Bill
Substitute Bill (NRMW 11)
     Bill Digest
     Senate Bill Report (Orig.)
Senate Bill Report
 
 

Fiscal Note (Available)
Get Fiscal Note
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Hb 1850 looks  like no news since Feb 7


http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=1850&year=2011

B 1850 - 2011-12
   (What is this?)

Regarding the consolidation of certain natural resources agencies and programs.

Go to documents...

History of Bill
as of Thursday, March 3, 2011 8:54 AM

    Sponsors:   Representative Dunshee
    By Request:   Governor Gregoire
    Companion Bill:   SB 5669
 
    2011 REGULAR SESSION
        Feb 7    First reading, referred to State Government & Tribal Affairs. (View Original Bill)

Go to history...

Available Documents
Bill Documents   Bill Digests   Bill Reports
Original Bill
     Bill Digest
     
 

Fiscal Note (Available)
Get Fiscal Note

[Special T]

I was thinking about this earlier and am baffled... The WDFW doesn't want a merger right? So why are they moving away from to the Hook And Bullet crowd? It seems like they want to turn into the State Parks and Rec department or something?  Do they not realize that they must focus on thier CORE objectives i the department is going to survie let alone thrive? The director is a business man for crieing out loud! he owned a fishing boat right? 

[Schwag173]

When you plan on getting your operating funds from (general) taxes and not licenses/tags, you no longer need to cater to your hunting/fishing customer.  Rather, your new customer becomer whomever is controlling the piggybank and you keep THEM happy.  Make no mistake about it; government bureaucrats wear green uniforms, too. 

[Elkaholic daWg]

 Passte from the other thread......


  Just  talked to an assistant of Val Stevens today on the phone and was told that  HB 1850 the house version of this bill didn't make it out of committee and is essentially DEAD!!!!! PLEASE let this be TRUE!!!