wa-law.org > bill > 2025-26 > HB 1707 > Original Bill
The legislature finds that effective communication between affected parties and regulators is always important, but especially so at the present time, as agricultural producers and the agricultural economy are under strain. Therefore, the legislature intends to restrict the listing of any agricultural crops as noxious weeds before the state noxious weed control board has the opportunity to hold public hearings on recommendations provided by work groups convened by the department of agriculture and composed of agricultural producers.
The state noxious weed control board shall each year or more often, following a hearing, adopt a state noxious weed list.
The state noxious weed control board shall adopt guidelines by rule for placing plants on the state noxious weed list. These guidelines must include criteria for reconsideration of proposed new species that were not adopted by the state noxious weed control board, including the need for the board to be presented with additional data from scientific sources regarding any invasive and noxious qualities of the species and from existing positive economic benefits before taking any action. These guidelines must prohibit the listing of agricultural crops as noxious weeds before the board receives, and conducts a public hearing on, recommendations provided by a work group convened by the department of agriculture that has members who include, at a minimum, affected agricultural producers and one member of the board.
Any person may request during a comment period established by the state noxious weed control board the inclusion, deletion, or designation change of any plant to the state noxious weed list.
The state noxious weed control board shall send a copy of the list to each activated county noxious weed control board, to each weed district, and to the county legislative authority of each county with an inactive noxious weed control board.
The record of rule making must include the written findings of the board for the inclusion of each plant on the list. The findings shall be made available upon request to any interested person.