Lawmakers hear wide-ranging testimony on Fish and Wildlife Commission reform; two bills debated at public hearing

The House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee held a lengthy public hearing Feb. 19 on competing proposals to change how the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission is structured and how commissioners are appointed.

House Bill 16-85, presented by Representative Springer, would make the commission an advisory body and establish the director of the Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) as the agency's executive and administrative head; it would also create an interagency work group for issues that significantly affect fish and wildlife. Representative Springer described the bill as the start of a longer process to address perceived dysfunction and to find a more "fair, balanced" structure.

House Bill 19-30, presented by Ranking Member Dent, would change the commission's composition and appointment process: six commissioners would be appointed by county legislative authorities from each of DFW's six regions (one from each region), and three at-large members would be appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate; the bill would require that nominees have held a hunting or fishing…