(1) Moneys appropriated prior to July 1, 2016, for this chapter shall be divided as follows:
(a) Appropriations for a biennium of forty million dollars or less must be allocated equally between the habitat conservation account and the outdoor recreation account.
(b) If appropriations for a biennium total more than forty million dollars, the money must be allocated as follows: (i) Twenty million dollars to the habitat conservation account and twenty million dollars to the outdoor recreation account; (ii) any amount over forty million dollars up to fifty million dollars shall be allocated as follows: (A) Ten percent to the habitat conservation account; (B) ten percent to the outdoor recreation account; (C) forty percent to the riparian protection account; and (D) forty percent to the farmlands preservation account; and (iii) any amounts over fifty million dollars must be allocated as follows: (A) Thirty percent to the habitat conservation account; (B) thirty percent to the outdoor recreation account; (C) thirty percent to the riparian protection account; and (D) ten percent to the farmlands preservation account.
(2) Beginning July 1, 2016, moneys appropriated for this chapter must be allocated as follows: (a) Forty-five percent to the habitat conservation account; (b) forty-five percent to the outdoor recreation account; and (c) ten percent to the farm and forest account.
(3) Moneys deposited in these accounts shall be invested as authorized for other state funds, and any earnings on them shall be credited to the respective account.
(4) All moneys deposited in the habitat conservation, outdoor recreation, and farm and forest accounts shall be allocated as provided under RCW
79A.15.040,
79A.15.050, and
79A.15.130 as grants to state or local agencies or nonprofit nature conservancies for acquisition, development, and renovation within the jurisdiction of those agencies, subject to legislative appropriation. The board may use or permit the use of any funds appropriated for this chapter as matching funds where federal, local, or other funds are made available for projects within the purposes of this chapter. Moneys appropriated to these accounts that are not obligated to a specific project may be used to fund projects from lists of alternate projects from the same account in biennia succeeding the biennium in which the moneys were originally appropriated.
(5) Projects receiving grants for development, recreational access, or fee simple acquisition of land under this chapter must be accessible for public recreation and outdoor education unless the board specifically approves limiting public access in order to protect sensitive species, water quality, or public safety.
(6) The board may make grants to an eligible project from the habitat conservation, outdoor recreation, and farm and forest accounts and any one or more of the applicable categories under such accounts described in RCW
79A.15.040,
79A.15.050, and
79A.15.130.
(7) The board may accept private donations to the habitat conservation account, the outdoor recreation account, and the farm and forest account for the purposes specified in this chapter.
(8) The board may retain a portion of the funds appropriated for this chapter for its office for the administration of the programs and purposes specified in this chapter. The portion of the funds retained for administration may not exceed: (a) The actual administration costs averaged over the previous five biennia as a percentage of the legislature's new appropriation for this chapter; or (b) the amount specified in the appropriation, if any. Each biennium the percentage specified under (a) of this subsection must be approved by the office of financial management and submitted along with the prioritized lists of projects to be funded in RCW
79A.15.060,
79A.15.070, and
79A.15.130.
(9) Habitat and recreation land and facilities acquired or developed with moneys appropriated for this chapter may not, without prior approval of the board, be converted to a use other than that for which funds were originally approved. The board shall adopt rules and procedures governing the approval of such a conversion.
Application—2016 c 149 §§ 3, 4, 5, and 10: "The allocations in sections 3, 4, and 5 of this act apply to the prioritized list of all projects submitted by November 1, 2016. The eligibility provisions in sections 4 and 5 of this act for nonprofit nature conservancies, as defined in RCW
84.34.250, and eligibility provisions in section 10 of this act are effective for projects submitted in 2016. The recreation and conservation funding board shall provide a prioritized list of projects to be funded under RCW
79A.15.130(2)(b) by November 1, 2017. All other provisions of this act apply to subsequent grant cycles." [
2016 c 149 § 11.]
