ROLL CALL FOR ALL WASHINGTONIANS re. HB 1056 Restricting access to public waters

Thanks to RoxnDox for bringing this proposed legislation to light. I wanted to start a new thread to encourage each of the Washingtonians on NWKA to careful consider the threat this bill poses, to contact your legislative delegation with your views, and to share your activity with the rest of us.  So, IF YOU SENT YOUR VIEWS TO YOUR SENATOR AND REPRESENTATIVE(S), shout it out with a post and name the legislators you contacted if you care to share it.

I just e-mailed my delegation which included:
State Senator Annette Cleveland
State Representative Jim Moeller
State Representative Sharon Wylie

Regards,
Slime

Any details?

Email addresses?

Find your legislators:

http://app.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/

I emailed my district legislators, and also posted this nonsense on the Washington Bloodydecks forum. 

Sent email to Rep Michelle Caldier, Rep Jesse Young, and Sen Jan Angel. 

Lots of scuba divers are getting their voices into it as well.

Jim

Liz Pike and Brandon Vick (State reps) done!

This bill either has a hidden agenda or the sponsor is a friggin rocket scientist who's never accessed a river. 

-Mark-

Let your representative know how you feel.  This is the response I got.

"Mr. xxxxx

Thank you very much for your email. I am grateful that you feel comfortable in contacting me with your concerns.

While I do not know the backstory behind HB 1056, I wanted to let you know that I have many concerns with it. I truly believe in keeping public lands public, and will continue to work towards that goal. If there is an issue with trespassing on private land, there is already a system in place to deal with that. I do plan on speaking with the prime sponsor of the legislation to see why he has authored this bill, but am doubtful that his reasoning would change my mind.

As a person who also enjoys the outdoors, I thank you again for your email.

Representative Brandon P. Vick
18th Legislative District, Pos. 1

House of Representatives
469 John L. O'Brien Building
PO Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504"

I like this response.

This bill either has a hidden agenda or the sponsor is a friggin rocket scientist who's never accessed a river. 

-Mark-

I posted this in the other thread on this topic.....

I can offer a little background since I reside in the city of West Richland (the district that spawned this legislative nonsense), and I am very familiar with the issue that gave the sponsor the inspiration to concoct this phlegm. 

Larry Haler (sponsor) is only doing this because of a couple of very vocal landowners living on the Yakima River adjacent to the Twin Bridges Road bridge crossing over the river.  It is a very popular access point for rafters, yakkers, and paddlers and floaters of all types, and each summer law enforcement is inundated with complaints from this land owner over trash, parking, noisy floaters, etc.   

Haler has proposed a shotgun blast type solution to a problem requiring surgical precision.  Undoubtedly this problem is not unique to this one access point and is an issue statewide, but his solution affects all statewide public waterway access across public lands.   

I emailed my district legislators (including Haler), and posted this infamy on Washington Bloodydecks as well.  Spread the word.


Haler is essentially a career politician.  He spent a lot of time on the Richland city council, and did time as Richland's mayor.  He is no rocket scientist, and his likely hidden agenda is to be able to say to a couple of peeved constituents that "hey, I tried".   I don't believe Haler wrote this with any expectation or even intention of it gaining any meaningful chance of passing.   In drafting and proposing this bill, he demonstrated to me that he is frivolous and wasting effort and legislative resources better expended elsewhere, and clearly not the right person for his seat.   

Pederson, Walkinshaw and Chopp notified to oppose the bill and indeed seek to enact legislation that requires that the public be allowed to access the public waterways over public land.

Here is the author's emailed response to me:

Tom,

HB1056 is dead for this session.  I ran the bill for the Benton Commissioners to protect private property of those who live along the Yakima River.  The bill did not seek to prevent people from accessing the Yakima River.

I know you cherish your right to your private property as do the private property owners who live along the Yakima River.

Thank you for contacting me   

Larry Haler
State Representative 8th District

The issues surrounding this access point are not nearly as significant as Haler portrays.  It's one or two residents who dislike there being a popular access point adjacent to their property, and a lack of respect by many users of that access point.   There are sufficient laws on the books to take care of all of the problems with this area.   

yup, dead.  Got an email from my rep.  Never made it out of committee.