House Bill 1625 would support backcountry search and rescue organizations and volunteers by creating the backcountry search and rescue grant program
Rep. David Stuebe filed his first bill as a member of the Washington State House of Representatives on Friday. House Bill 1625 would support backcountry search and rescue organizations and volunteers by creating the backcountry search and rescue grant program.
HB 1625 would create the Backcountry Search and Rescue Account and a mechanism to fund the grant account through legislative appropriations, donations, grants, or funds from other public or private sources. Sen. Keith Goehner, R-Chelan, plans to introduce a companion bill to HB 1625 in the Senate. He introduced a similar bill in the House last year, which the House unanimously passed, but it stalled in the Senate.
“This is an important bill to our state, given the increasing number of disasters, especially in rural, backcountry areas,” said Stuebe, R-Washougal. “Unfortunately, we are experiencing more of these destructive, large-scale disasters, and the cost to respond can be astronomical. This legislation would help fund and support these backcountry search and rescue efforts by getting more funds into the hands of those who need them.”
The Washington State Military Department would administer the program, creating the account in the state treasury.
If the legislation passes, the new rescue grant program would provide grants to search and rescue organizations for backcountry search and rescue volunteers’ planning, equipment, training, exercise, and operation costs. It would also allow counties, cities, and towns to recover backcountry search and rescue costs that are not reimbursed through other sources.
“People love to explore the state of Washington,” said Stuebe. “There are so many places to go and wonders of nature to see, but sometimes bad things happen when people explore the great outdoors. This bill would help those agencies and responders who often put their lives on the line to rescue others from danger. This grant program would create a way to help fund these backcountry search and rescue efforts without adding additional expenses to the state. Everybody wins.”
The Washington State Military Department Emergency Management Division estimates that approximately 1,000 search and rescue missions occur annually in Washington.
The 2025 session began on Jan. 13 and will last 105 days.
Information provided by the Washington State House Republicans, houserepublicans.wa.gov
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