Section 16-585-020 - Puget Sound salmon commodity board(1) Administration. The provisions of this marketing order and the applicable provisions of the act shall be administered and enforced by the board as the designee of the director.(2) Board membership. The board shall consist of seven members, six of whom shall be affected producers appointed or elected as provided in this section. The director shall appoint one additional member to the board who is not an affected producer to represent the director. The position representing the director shall be a voting member. (a) Director-appointed affected producer positions on the board shall be designated as position one, position two, and position three.(b) Elected affected producer positions on the board shall be designated as position four, position five, and position six.(c) The position representing the director who is not an affected producer shall be designated as position seven.(3) Qualifications for board membership. The producer members of the board must be practical producers of the affected commodity and must be a citizen and resident of this state, over the age of eighteen years. Each affected producer board member must be and have been actually engaged in producing such commodity within the state of Washington for a period of five years and has during that period derived a substantial portion of his/her income therefrom and who is not primarily engaged in business, directly or indirectly, as a handler or other dealer. The qualification of members of the board as herein set forth must continue during their terms of office.(4) Term of office. (a) The term of office for members of the board shall be three years. One-third of the membership as nearly as possible shall be appointed or elected each year.(b) The term of office for the initial board members shall be as follows: Positions one and four shall be for one year from the date of first election or until the first subsequent annual election is held.
Positions two and five shall be for two years from the date of first election or until the second subsequent annual election is held.
Positions three and six shall be for three years from the date of first election or until the third subsequent annual election is held.
(c) To accomplish the transition to a commodity board structure where the director appoints a majority of the board members, the names of the currently elected board members in positions one, two, and three shall be forwarded to the director for appointment within thirty days of the effective date of this amended marketing order.(5) Nominations of elected or director-appointed board members. Each year the director shall call a nomination meeting for elected or director-appointed affected producer board members. The meeting(s) shall be held at least thirty days in advance of the date set by the director for the election or advisory vote of board members.(a) Notice of every nomination meeting shall be published in a newspaper of general circulation within the affected area defined in this marketing order not less than ten days in advance of the date of the meeting; and, in addition, written notice of every meeting shall be given to all affected producers according to the list maintained by the board pursuant to RCW 15.65.295.(b) Nonreceipt of notice by any interested person shall not invalidate the proceedings at such nomination meeting.(c) Any qualified affected producer may be nominated orally for membership on the board at a nomination meeting. Nominations may also be made within five days after the meeting by written petition filed with the director signed by not less than five affected producers.(d) If the board moves and the director approves that the nomination meeting procedure be deleted, the director shall give notice of the open commission position(s) by mail to all affected producers. The notice shall call for nominations in accordance with this marketing order and shall give the final date for filing nominations which shall not be less than twenty days after the notice was mailed.(e) When only one nominee is nominated by the affected producers for any position, RCW 15.65.250 shall apply.(f) As authorized under RCW 15.65.680, the voting board may appoint up to two additional nonvoting members to serve in an advisory capacity from among producers, handlers or others with expertise in the Puget Sound salmon industry including, but not limited to, state and tribal fisheries partners. Advisory board member appointments are for a three-year period. A nonvoting advisory member may serve additional consecutive terms of office if reappointed by the board.(6) Election or advisory vote of board members.(a) An election or advisory vote shall be conducted by secret ballot under the supervision of the director. Each affected producer shall be entitled to one vote.(b) Elected affected producer members of the board shall be elected during the month of February of each year by a majority of the votes cast by the affected producers. If a nominee does not receive a majority of the votes on the first ballot, a run-off election shall be held by mail in a similar manner between the two candidates for such position receiving the largest number of votes.(c) An advisory vote shall be conducted for affected producer board members appointed by the director under the provisions of RCW 15.65.243 during the month of January of each year. The names of the two candidates receiving the most votes in the advisory vote shall be forwarded to the director for potential appointment to the board. In the event there are only two candidates nominated for a board position, an advisory vote may not be held and the candidates' names shall be forwarded to the director for potential appointment.(d) Notice of every election or advisory vote for board membership shall be published in a newspaper of general circulation within the affected area defined in this marketing order not less than ten days in advance of the date of the election or advisory vote. Not less than ten days prior to every election or advisory vote for board membership, the director shall mail a ballot of the candidates to each affected producer entitled to vote whose name appears upon the list of such affected producers maintained by the board pursuant to RCW 15.65.295. Any other producer entitled to vote may obtain a ballot by application to the director upon establishing his/her qualifications.(e) Nonreceipt of a ballot by any person entitled to vote shall not invalidate the election or advisory vote of a board member.(7) Vacancies. (a) In the event of a vacancy on the board in an elected position, the board shall appoint a qualified person to fill the unexpired term. The appointment shall be made at the board's first or second meeting after the position becomes vacant.(b) In the event of a vacancy in a director-appointed position, the position shall be filled as specified in RCW 15.65.270.(8) Quorum. A majority of the members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of all business and the carrying out of all duties of the board. (9) Board compensation. No member of the board shall receive any salary or other compensation, but each member may be compensated for each day in actual attendance at or traveling to and from meetings of the board or on special assignment for the board in accordance with RCW 43.03.230 together with travel expenses in accordance with RCW 43.03.050 and 43.03.060. The board may adopt, by resolution, provisions for reimbursement of actual travel expenses incurred by members of the board in carrying out the provisions of this marketing order pursuant to RCW 15.65.270. A board member may, in the discretion of the board, serve and be compensated as an employee of the commission.(10) Powers and duties of the board. The board shall have the following powers and duties: (a) To administer, enforce, and control the provisions of this order as the designee of the director;(b) To elect a chairperson and other officers as it deems advisable;(c) To employ and discharge at its discretion such assistance and personnel as the board determines necessary and proper to carry out the purpose of the order and to effectuate the policies of the act;(d) To pay from moneys collected as assessments or advances thereon the costs arising in connection with the formulation, issuance, administration, and enforcement of the order and rules adopted under the order. Expenses may be paid by check, draft, or voucher in such form and in such manner and upon the signature of the person as the board may prescribe;(e) To reimburse any applicant who has deposited funds with the director in order to defray the costs of formulating the order;(f) To establish a fund to be deposited in a bank or banks or financial institution or institutions, approved for the deposit of state funds, in which all money received by the board, except the amount of petty cash for each day's needs, not to exceed one hundred dollars, shall be deposited each day;(g) To keep or cause to be kept in accordance with accepted standards of good accounting practice, accurate records of all assessments, disbursements, moneys, and other financial transactions made and done pursuant to this order. Records, books, and accounts shall be audited as provided in the act subject to procedures and methods lawfully prescribed by the state auditor. Books and accounts shall be closed as of the last day of each fiscal year. A copy of the audit shall be delivered within thirty days after the completion thereof to the governor, the director, the state auditor, and each member of the board;
(h) To require bond of board members and employees of the board in positions of trust in an amount the board deems necessary. Premiums for a bond or bonds shall be paid by the board from assessments collected. A bond shall not be necessary if any board member or employee is covered by any blanket bond covering officials or employees of the state of Washington;(i) To prepare a budget or budgets covering anticipated income and expenses to be incurred in carrying out the provisions of the order during each fiscal year. At least sixty days prior to the beginning of its fiscal year, the board shall prepare and submit to the director for approval its research plan, its commodity-related education and training plan, and its budget;(j) To establish by resolution, a headquarters which shall continue as such unless and until so changed by the board. All records, books, and minutes of board meetings shall be kept at such headquarters;(k) To recommend to the director, administrative rules, orders and amendments thereto for the exercise of the director's power in connection with this marketing order;(l) To carry out the provisions of RCW 15.65.510 covering the obtaining of information necessary to effectuate the provisions of this marketing order and the act, along with the necessary authority and procedure for obtaining such information;(m) To bring actions or proceedings upon joining the director as a party for specific performance, restraint, injunction, or mandatory injunction against any person who violates or refuses to perform the obligations or duties imposed upon the person by the act or this order;(n) To confer with and cooperate with the legally constituted authorities of other states of the United States for the purpose of obtaining uniformity in the administration of federal and state marketing regulations, licenses, agreements, or orders;(o) To carry out any other grant of authority or duty provided designees and not specifically set forth in this section;(q) To borrow money and incur indebtedness;(r) To work cooperatively with other local, state, and federal agencies; universities; and national organizations for the purposes provided in this order;(s) To enter into contracts or interagency agreements with any private or public agency, whether federal, state, or local. Personal service contracts must comply with chapter 39.29 RCW;(t) To accept and expend or retain any gifts, bequests, contributions, or grants from private persons or private and public agencies;(u) To enter into contracts or agreements for research in the production, processing, transportation, marketing, use, or distribution of Puget Sound gillnet salmon;(v) To retain in emergent situations the services of private legal counsel to conduct legal actions on behalf of the commission. The retention of a private attorney is subject to review by the office of the attorney general;(w) To engage in appropriate fund-raising activities for the purpose of supporting activities authorized by this marketing order;(x) To participate in international, federal, state, and local hearings, meetings, and other proceedings relating to the production, manufacture, regulation, transportation, distribution, sale, or use of Puget Sound gillnet salmon including activities authorized under RCW 42.17.190, including the reporting of those activities to the public disclosure commission;(y) To maintain a list of the names and addresses of affected producers that may be compiled from information used to collect assessments under the provisions of this marketing order and data on the value of each affected producer's production for a minimum three-year period pursuant to RCW 15.65.280;(z) To maintain a list of the names and addresses of persons who handle Puget Sound gillnet salmon within the affected area and data on the amount and value of the Puget Sound gillnet salmon handled for a minimum three-year period by each person pursuant to RCW 15.65.280;(aa) To maintain a list of names and addresses of all affected persons who produce Puget Sound gillnet salmon and the amount, by unit, of Puget Sound gillnet salmon produced during the past three years pursuant to RCW 15.65.-295;(bb) To maintain a list of all persons who handle Puget Sound gillnet salmon and the amount of Puget Sound gillnet salmon handled by each person during the past three years pursuant to RCW 15.65.295;(cc) To establish a foundation using commission funds as grant money for the purposes established in this marketing order pursuant to RCW 15.65.043.(11) Procedures for board. (a) The board shall hold regular meetings, at least semi-annually, and such meetings shall be held in accordance with chapter 42.30 RCW (Open Public Meetings Act). Notice of the time and place of regular meetings shall be published on or before January of each year in the Washington State Register. Notice of any change to the meeting schedule shall be published in the state register at least twenty days prior to the rescheduled meeting date.(b) The board shall hold an annual membership meeting, at which time an annual report will be presented. The proposed budget shall be presented for discussion at the meeting. Notice of the annual meeting shall be given by the board at least ten days prior to the meeting by written notice to each producer and by notifying the regular news media.(c) The board shall establish by resolution, the time, place, and manner of calling special meetings of the board with reasonable notice to the board members and affected producers. Notice for special meetings shall be in compliance with chapter 42.30 RCW.Wash. Admin. Code § 16-585-020
Amended by WSR 21-18-047, Filed 8/25/2021, effective 9/25/2021Statutory Authority: RCW 15.65.047 and chapter 34.05 RCW. 05-13-008, § 16-585-020, filed 6/3/05, effective 7/4/05. Statutory Authority: RCW 15.65.060 and 15.65.180. 02-14-091, § 16-585-020, filed 7/1/02, effective 8/1/02. Statutory Authority: RCW 15.65.050 and chapter 16.65 WAC [15.65 RCW]. 95-15-102, § 16-585-020, filed 7/19/95, effective 8/19/95.