(1) The Washington marine resources advisory council is created within the office of the governor.
(2) The Washington marine resources advisory council is composed of:
(a) The governor, or the governor's designee, who shall serve as the chair of the council;
(b) The commissioner of public lands, or the commissioner's designee;
(c) Two members of the senate, appointed by the president of the senate, one from each of the two largest caucuses in the senate;
(d) Two members of the house of representatives, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives, one from each of the two largest caucuses in the house of representatives;
(e) One representative of federally recognized Indian tribes with reservations lying within or partially within counties bordering the outer coast, if selected by action of all of the governing bodies of all federally recognized Indian tribes in such an area;
(f) One representative of federally recognized Indian tribes with reservations lying within or partially within counties bordering Puget Sound, if selected by action of all of the governing bodies of all federally recognized Indian tribes in such an area;
(g) One representative of each of the following sectors, appointed by the governor:
(i) Commercial fishing;
(ii) Recreational fishing;
(iii) Marine recreation and tourism, other than fishing;
(iv) Coastal shellfish growers;
(v) Puget Sound shellfish growers;
(vi) Marine businesses; and
(vii) Conservation organizations;
(h) The chair of the Washington state conservation commission, or the chair's designee;
(i) One representative appointed by the largest statewide general agricultural association;
(j) One representative appointed by the largest statewide business association;
(k) The chair of the Washington coastal marine advisory council;
(l) The chair of the leadership council of the Puget Sound partnership;
(m) The director of the department of ecology;
(n) The director of the department of fish and wildlife; and
(o) The chair of the Northwest Straits commission.
(3) The governor shall invite the participation of the following entities as nonvoting members:
(a) The national oceanic and atmospheric administration; and
(b) Academic institutions conducting scientific research on ocean acidification.
(4) The governor shall make the appointments of the members under subsection (2)(g) of this section by September 1, 2013.
(5) Any member appointed by the governor may be removed by the governor for cause.
(6) A majority of the voting members of the Washington marine resources advisory council constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
(7) The chair of the Washington marine resources advisory council shall schedule meetings and establish the agenda. The first meeting of the council must be scheduled by November 1, 2013. The council shall meet at least twice per calendar year. At each meeting the council shall afford an opportunity to the public to comment upon agenda items and other matters relating to the protection and conservation of the state's ocean resources.
(8) The Washington marine resources advisory council shall have the following powers and duties:
(a) To maintain a sustainable coordinated focus, including the involvement of and the collaboration among all levels of government and nongovernmental entities, the private sector, and citizens by increasing the state's ability to work to address impacts of ocean acidification;
(b) To advise and work with the University of Washington and others to conduct ongoing technical analysis on the effects and sources of ocean acidification. The recommendations must identify a range of actions necessary to implement the recommendations and take into consideration the differences between in-state impacts and sources and out-of-state impacts and sources;
(c) To deliver recommendations to the governor and appropriate committees in the Washington state senate and house of representatives that must include, as necessary, any minority reports requested by a councilmember;
(d) To seek public and private funding resources necessary, and the commitment of other resources, for ongoing technical analysis to support the council's recommendations; and
(e) To assist in conducting public education activities regarding the impacts of and contributions to ocean acidification and regarding implementation strategies to support the actions adopted by the legislature.
(9) This section expires June 30, 2032.
Finding — Intent — 2022 c 91: "The legislature finds that the marine resources advisory council, first established in 2013, continues to serve an important role in confronting the ongoing threat of ocean acidification in Washington. Through the marine resources advisory council and the work that it supports, Washington is an academic, government, and industry leader in efforts to address the impacts of ocean acidification. It is the intent of the legislature to support the continued critical ocean acidification work of the marine resources advisory council." [ 2022 c 91 s 1 .]