Locke approves $110 million for state construction projects

Associated Press

OLYMPIA — Gov. Gary Locke has signed a construction budget that spreads about $110 million on projects around the state in a bid to create jobs and boost the economy.

The bill — among more than 30 Locke signed Thursday — adds to the larger $880 million construction budget for the 2001-03 biennium that lawmakers approved last year. Budget writers said they chose the new projects with an eye toward creating private-sector jobs quickly.

Locke also signed a companion bonding bill, Senate Bill 6818, which lets the construction budget dodge the legal limit on how much debt the state can carry.

State law limits bond debt to 7 percent of general revenue, and the steep post-Sept. 11 decline in revenue meant the existing construction budget didn’t fit under the limit, let alone any extra spending. Lawmakers raised the limit by counting real estate excise tax revenue that hadn’t been included in the calculation.

"Because the Legislature agreed on an innovative financing plan, we not only can go ahead with the $880 million in projects, but we also can provide an additional $100 million for other new projects, most of which we can get under way this spring and summer, saving or creating 4,000 jobs we need now," Locke said.

The projects include dozens of small repairs and renovations at parks, community colleges and schools, as well as larger-scale work at four-year universities and $17.5 million to dredge the Columbia River shipping channel.

Locke vetoed two sections of the budget:

A direct $649,000 grant to People for Salmon for fish recovery projects. Locke, who vetoed a similar provision last year, said giving the money directly to the group would intrude on the Salmon Recovery Funding Board’s authority to choose fish recovery projects.

A reallocation of $150,000 from an ongoing study of the governance of the University of Washington’s Burke Museum to preserving the museum’s collection. Locke said it was inappropriate to forgo the study and pay for museum operations with the money.

Locke also signed bills dealing with:

Drug needles. House Bill 1759 allows the sale of hypodermic syringes to drug users to limit the spread of blood-borne diseases such as HIV. Locke vetoed part of the bill sponsored by the House Committee on Health Care, eliminating a provision that would have required syringe buyers to turn in an equal number of used needles when buying new ones. Locke said such a requirement would have posed a health risk to pharmacy workers and a burden on legal syringe users such as diabetics.

Archaeological sites. House Bill 1189 toughens penalties for disturbing archaeological sites. The bill sponsored by the House Judiciary Committee allows civil penalties of as much as $5,000 for someone who damages an archaeological site, digs without a permit, or removes any archaeological object without a permit. Such violations are already a misdemeanor, but local authorities often don’t press charges.

Duplicate fishing and hunting licenses. House Bill 2435 gives the Department of Fish and Wildlife authority to lower fees for replacement fishing and hunting licenses. Most duplicate licenses now cost $10 by law, a figure department officials say is too high.