(1) The stadium and exhibition center account is created in the custody of the state treasurer. All receipts from the taxes imposed under RCW
82.14.0494 and distributions under RCW
67.70.240(1)(d) shall be deposited into the account. Only the director of the office of financial management or the director's designee may authorize expenditures from the account. The account is subject to allotment procedures under chapter
43.88 RCW. An appropriation is not required for expenditures from this account.
(2) Until bonds are issued under RCW
43.99N.020, up to $5,000,000 per year beginning January 1, 1999, shall be used for the purposes of subsection (3)(b) of this section, all remaining moneys in the account shall be transferred to the public stadium authority, created under RCW
36.102.020, to be used for public stadium authority operations and development of the stadium and exhibition center.
(3) After bonds are issued under RCW
43.99N.020, all moneys in the stadium and exhibition center account shall be used exclusively for the following purposes in the following priority:
(a) On or before June 30th of each year, the office of financial management shall accumulate in the stadium and exhibition center account an amount at least equal to the amount required in the next succeeding twelve months for the payment of principal of and interest on the bonds issued under RCW
43.99N.020;
(b) An additional reserve amount not in excess of the expected average annual principal and interest requirements of bonds issued under RCW
43.99N.020 shall be accumulated and maintained in the account, subject to withdrawal by the state treasurer at any time if necessary to meet the requirements of (a) of this subsection, and, following any withdrawal, reaccumulated from the first tax revenues and other amounts deposited in the account after meeting the requirements of (a) of this subsection; and
(c) The balance, if any, shall be transferred to the youth athletic facility account under subsection (4) of this section.
Any revenues derived from the taxes authorized by RCW
36.38.010(5) and
36.38.040 or other amounts that if used as provided under (a) and (b) of this subsection would cause the loss of any tax exemption under federal law for interest on bonds issued under RCW
43.99N.020 shall be deposited in and used exclusively for the purposes of the youth athletic facility account and shall not be used, directly or indirectly, as a source of payment of principal of or interest on bonds issued under RCW
43.99N.020, or to replace or reimburse other funds used for that purpose.
(4) Any moneys in the stadium and exhibition center account not required or permitted to be used for the purposes described in subsection (3)(a) and (b) of this section shall be deposited in the youth athletic facility account hereby created in the state treasury. Expenditures from the account may be used only for purposes of grants or loans to cities, counties, and qualified nonprofit organizations for community outdoor athletic facilities. Only the director of the recreation and conservation office or the director's designee may authorize expenditures from the account. The account is subject to allotment procedures under chapter
43.88 RCW, but an appropriation is not required for expenditures. The athletic facility grants or loans may be used for acquiring, developing, equipping, maintaining, and improving community outdoor athletic facilities. Funds shall be divided equally between the development of new community outdoor athletic facilities, the improvement of existing community outdoor athletic facilities, and the maintenance of existing community outdoor athletic facilities. Cities, counties, and qualified nonprofit organizations must submit proposals for grants or loans from the account. To the extent that funds are available, cities, counties, and qualified nonprofit organizations must meet eligibility criteria as established by the director of the recreation and conservation office. The grants and loans shall be awarded on a competitive application process and the amount of the grant or loan shall be in proportion to the population of the city or county for where the community outdoor athletic facility is located. Grants or loans awarded in any one year need not be distributed in that year. The director of the recreation and conservation office may expend up to one and one-half percent of the moneys deposited in the account created in this subsection for administrative purposes. During the 2021-2023 fiscal biennium, the legislature may appropriate moneys from the youth athletic facility account to support a task force to consider ways to improve equitable access to K-12 schools' fields and athletic facilities and local parks agency facilities with the goal of increasing physical activity for youth and families. A portion of the appropriation must be used to inventory K-12 school fields and athletic facilities and park agency facilities.
(5) During the 2023-2025 fiscal biennium, subsection (4) of this section applies to expenditures from the youth athletic facility account except as provided in this subsection.
(a) During the 2023-2025 fiscal biennium, the recreation and conservation office may spend appropriations made from the youth athletic facility account for grants and loans to political subdivisions of the state other than cities and counties as well as federally recognized Indian tribes for community outdoor athletic facilities. The office is not required to divide the expenditures equally between development, improvement, and maintenance of facilities. The office's authority to retain 1.5 percent of amounts deposited in the account for administration is suspended, and the office's administrative overhead is instead specified in the appropriations for this purpose.
(b) During the 2023-2025 fiscal biennium, the legislature may also appropriate moneys in the youth athletic facility account for the following:
(i) To the department of commerce for the public facility improvement fund as provided in section 1038, chapter 474, Laws of 2023; and
(ii) To the recreation and conservation office for the purpose of the youth athletic facilities program as provided in section 3060, chapter 474, Laws of 2023.
