wa-law.org > bill > 2023-24 > SB 6302 > Substitute Bill
It is the intent of the legislature that the state of Washington, being the most trade dependent state in the nation, maintain and expand its abilities to compete in the global trade market and be a national leader in trade. The legislature finds it is imperative to maintain and expand critical and strategic infrastructure for the transport and movement of the overall supply chain of goods from point of entry, to unload and load processes, and to transport via ground and maritime facilities, to warehouses, manufacturing facilities, and final destinations. Strategic infrastructure investments targeted at increased capacity for the supply chain is crucial to the state's public welfare of sending and receiving crucial supplies, goods, and services.
The department, in collaboration with the department of commerce, Washington state public ports associations, individual ports, and other critical supply chain stakeholders including, but not limited to, trucking companies, railroad companies, marine operators, warehouse operators, agricultural and other manufacturing representatives, and clean energy association members, shall set priorities to ensure the successful and efficient operation of a supply chain competitiveness infrastructure program to include grants and loans to public ports. The department may adopt rules under chapter 34.05 RCW to implement the supply chain competitiveness infrastructure program.
The supply chain competitiveness infrastructure program account is created in the custody of the state treasurer. All receipts from the legislature, proceeds of bonds when authorized by the legislature, or any other lawful source must be deposited into the account. Moneys in the account may be used only for the purposes set forth in section 5 of this act. Only the department 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 total outstanding amount the department may dispense at any time must not exceed moneys available in the account.
The department shall create a revolving loan program to fund projects for public port authorities that comply with the priorities identified through the stakeholder process in section 2 of this act and the project goals in section 4 of this act. The department shall establish loan terms with interest rates not to exceed the amount to cover administrative expenses of the loan program. The repayment of any loan from the supply chain competitiveness infrastructure program account under contract with a public port must be paid into the supply chain competitiveness infrastructure program account.
The legislature intends that supply chain competitiveness infrastructure grant funds will be appropriated to the department using existing transportation accounts.
In addition to the priorities identified through the stakeholder process in section 2 of this act, projects for the supply chain competitiveness infrastructure program must align with the following programmatic goals:
Development or maintenance of transportation infrastructure that ensures the successful and efficient operation of the supply chain to and from the state's public ports;
Economic, safety, or environmental advantages of efficient freight movement;
Sustaining the state's international trade economy;
Increased access to efficient and cost-effective transport to market for Washington's agricultural and industrial products;
Model integration and cooperation within the regional, national, and international systems of freight distribution; and
Mitigation of impacts of increased freight traffic on communities.
The collaborative process in section 2 of this act shall result in the development of performance metrics that result in strengthening the state's supply chain competitiveness and evaluation criteria by which to prioritize projects for funding.
Supply chain competitiveness infrastructure projects funded from the supply chain competitiveness infrastructure program shall focus on enhancing supply chain competitiveness for public ports, and the capacity of ground and maritime transportation and facilities. The department shall govern and operate the grant and revolving loan program. The collaborative process in section 2 of this act shall result in a list of project types eligible for the supply chain competitiveness infrastructure grant and loan program.
All eligible projects must be included in a port's freight development plan as defined in RCW 53.20.055.
For the purposes of this act, public ports are those authorized under chapter 53.04 RCW.
(1) Money in the treasurer's trust fund may be deposited, invested, and reinvested by the state treasurer in accordance with RCW 43.84.080 in the same manner and to the same extent as if the money were in the state treasury, and may be commingled with moneys in the state treasury for cash management and cash balance purposes.
(1) Money in the treasurer's trust fund may be deposited, invested, and reinvested by the state treasurer in accordance with RCW 43.84.080 in the same manner and to the same extent as if the money were in the state treasury, and may be commingled with moneys in the state treasury for cash management and cash balance purposes.
(1) Money in the treasurer's trust fund may be deposited, invested, and reinvested by the state treasurer in accordance with RCW 43.84.080 in the same manner and to the same extent as if the money were in the state treasury, and may be commingled with moneys in the state treasury for cash management and cash balance purposes.
(2) Section 8 of this act expires July 1, 2030.
(1) Section 8 of this act takes effect July 1, 2024.