Committee hears proposal to reserve 20% of wildlife-damage crop funds for low-density “Frontier 1” counties

The House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee on March 19 heard from staff and the bill’s sponsor about Substitute Senate Bill 5165, which would require at least 20% of available state money for wildlife damage claims to be used for claims from so-called Frontier 1 counties.

Lily Smith, staff to the committee, told members the Department of Fish and Wildlife already runs a compensation program for commercial crop losses caused by deer and elk, and that claims are prioritized by percentage loss and limited by available funding. Smith said the bill “provides that at least 20% of the available funds for damage to crops must be used for claims from Frontier 1 counties,” and that if claims from those counties do not exhaust the allocation, remaining funds may go to other eligible claimants.

Sponsor Sen. Shelley Short, R‑7th Legislative District, said the bill does not change eligibility or appraisal requirements: claimants must be property owners who meet the program’s farmer‑and‑appraisal rules. Short told the committee there are “12” Frontier 1 counties in Washington and that many are in Eastern Washington. She said the bill is intended to direct relief to sparser counties that may be disproportionately affected by deer and elk damage while not cutting off funding to other areas.

Short noted that the Skagit Valley has experienced high elk damage but said the bill’s allocation “does not impact them.” Representative questions focused on how often Frontier 1 counties have received funding under the existing first‑come, first‑served approach and whether the new allocation would address observed shortfalls. Short said staff would provide historical funding distributions to the committee.

Committee staff recorded no in‑person testimony and read for the record that people signed in not wishing to testify consisted of four pro, three con, and zero other. The committee closed public testimony on the bill without any formal action at the March 19 meeting.

The bill as presented would change the distribution formula for an existing Department of Fish and Wildlife compensation program; it does not alter claimant eligibility or the department’s appraisal process.

The committee did not take a vote on SB 5165 at the hearing; staff said additional information on county eligibility and past award patterns would be provided to members.