ARCHIVED Legislative Information
STATE LEGISLATURE INFORMATION
FOR A LIST OF LAST YEARS IMPORTANT LEGISLATIVE ISSUES CLICK HERE
https://use.bestwaywebsites.com/https://www.bchw.org/files/bchw-dept-of-health-domestic-animal-waste-comment-.docx
Interactive State Legislative District Locator. Click on your District to find out who your State Senators and Representatives are, their addresses, Email and Committee membership and more!
Washington Legislature Home Page. Current information, schedules, Committees, Bills, links to Senate and House Home Pages.
To find a bill of interest go to the Bill Information web page at: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/ At this point you can type in the bill number or search for a bill of interest by subject.
The Washington State Legislature has an online electronic citizen comment system. Instructions for commenting on a Washington State bill using their online comment system.
- Open the bill web page of the bill you want to comment on.
- Tap on the green "Comment on this bill" button.
- Check either Oppose, Neutral, or Support and enter your comment in the text box.
- Tap on Submit Comment. You will then be asked to register for submitting comments by entering an email address and a password.
PLEASE be very careful about not misrepresenting BCHW. BCHW has distinct positions on certain bills and chooses not to have positions on others. If you are representing an official position, feel free to state this. Otherwise you are entering your comment as a concerned citizen (who belongs to BCHW if you identified yourself as such in the Organization). Remember we are much more effective when we speak with a common voice. Otherwise right or wrong, we just come across as noise.
The Economic Impact of the Horse Industry on Washington State
By Back Country Horsemen of Washington (BCHW) for the Big Tent Coalition in Olympia 2013
Number of people in Washington State engaged in equestrian activities: 4% or 250,000
Activity rating in number of participants of all outdoor activities in Washington State: 14th
Number of horses in Washington State: 249,964
Average cost of keeping a horse for a year: $3,876 (249,964 x 3,876 = $968,860,464/year)
Wages from Equestrian and Related Industries in King County alone: $61,559,408
Factors for continuing to have a successful and prosperous equestrian industry (King County):
- Maintenance of an agricultural infrastructure that provides the materials, services, and facilities for breeding, raising, training, stabling, feeding, and caring for horses.
- A healthy pari-mutuel racing industry.
- Quality show and competition facilities and venues.
- An active calendar of shows, competitions, and other equestrian events and activities , such as 4-H, county fairs, etc.
A newly completed study in Kentucky (2012) which has 242,400 horses and comparable recreational and racing facilities puts their equine-related assets as $23.4 billion and $1.2 billion in equine related expenditures. With secondary business effects, we (BCHW) estimate that equestrian economic impacts in Washington State at $5 billion per year, which is consistent with the national study by the American Horse Council and making it one of the top recreational contributors to our state’s economy.
Sources:
- 2006 Outdoor Recreation Survey by the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office
- American HorsePower publication by the American Horse Council 2005
- Maine Cooperative Extension Publications Bulletin #12004
- The Horse Industry in King County by King County Economic Development 2007
- Summary of Economics of Equestrian Industry Use in King County 2011
- 2012 Kentucky Equine Survey
- National Economic Impact of the U.S. Horse Industry by the American Horse Council 2005
2020 BCHW Legislative Day Volunteer Hours Report Booklet
