March 26, 2002

To the Honorable President and Members,
The House of Representatives of the State of Washington

Ladies and Gentlemen:

I am returning herewith, without my approval as to sections 9 and 18, Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill No. 2671 entitled:

"AN ACT Relating to a permit assistance center within the department of ecology;"

Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill No. 2671 establishes an office of permit assistance in the Office of Financial Management (OFM) to be administered by the Governor. The bill will move the permit assistance center currently in operation at the Department of Ecology (DOE) to OFM, and extend its reach.

Section 9 of the bill would have established an eleven-member advisory council to assess the performance of the permit assistance office, review customer surveys, and make performance improvement recommendations, among other things. However, no funding was provided in the budget to support the advisory council, and such a council is not essential. The new office will provide biennial reports to the governor and the legislature, and DOE will also be forming an advisory committee.

The emergency clause in section 18 of the bill has also been vetoed. OFM, the Governor's Office and DOE will need time to establish the new office.

For these reasons, I have vetoed sections 9 and 18 of Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill No. 2671.

With the exception of sections 9 and 18, Engrossed Second Substitute House Bill No. 2671 is approved.

Respectfully submitted,

Gary Locke
Governor