The Washington State Growth Management Act ( GMA ) is a Washington state law that requires state and local governments to manage Washington's growth by identifying and protecting critical areas and natural resource lands, designating urban growth areas, preparing comprehensive plans and implementing them through capital investments and development regulations. This approach to growth management is unique among states. The act ( RCW 36.70A ) was adopted by the Legislature in 1990.
40-739: The GMA was adopted because the Washington State Legislature found that uncoordinated and unplanned growth posed a threat to the environment, sustainable economic development and the quality of life in Washington. Rather than centralize planning and decision-making at the state level, the GMA focuses on local control. The GMA establishes state goals, sets deadlines for compliance, offers direction on how to prepare local comprehensive plans and regulations and sets forth requirements for early and continuous public participation. Within
80-572: A humid continental climate ( Dfa/Dfb/Dc ), with warm-to-hot summers, cold and snowy winters with at least one month averaging below freezing, and four to seven months with mean temperatures warmer than 50 °F. The area from Martha's Vineyard and extreme SW Rhode Island to southern Delaware and western North Carolina has a warm temperate climate ( Cfa Köppen/ Do Trewartha) with long and hot summers with at least one month over 22°C (71.6°F), cool winters with all months over freezing, and six to seven months above 50°F. Although winter precipitation
120-413: A special election between general elections if a seat becomes vacant in the middle of a term. Instead, the county central committee of the political party that last held the seat in the county that contains the district nominates three candidates and the board of county commissioners chooses among them. A special election is then held alongside November general elections. Where a district spans counties,
160-584: A 2010 law consolidated them into one. SMA jurisdiction was added in 1996. The board's administrative rules of practice and procedure are found in the Washington Administrative Code ( WAC 242-02 ). Hearings Board members are appointed by the governor to staggered three year terms. This Washington -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Washington State Legislature Minority Caucus Minority The Washington State Legislature
200-541: A center for resort and travel destinations in the United States. New York City is the most populous city in the country and a major world financial center. Seventy-one of the world's Fortune 500 companies have their corporate headquarters in New York City, while Midtown Manhattan , with 400 million square feet of office space in 2018, is the largest central business district in the world. Washington, D.C.
240-530: A constitutional convention to write a state constitution . Following its successful passage by the legislature, Washington voters approved the new document on October 1. On November 11, 1889, President Benjamin Harrison authorized Washington to become the 42nd state of United States . It was the last West Coast state of the Continental U.S. to achieve statehood. The modern Washington State Legislature
280-621: A two-thirds vote by both the House of Representatives and the State Senate. Debates within both the House and Senate, as well as committee meetings and other special events within or relating to the legislature are broadcast throughout Washington on TVW , the state public affairs network. Debates can also be found on the web at TVW.org. Unlike some state legislatures, the Washington State Legislature does not hold
320-466: A vote of 52,299 to 29,676. With more than two decades of pressure on federal authorities to authorize statehood, on February 22, 1889, the U.S. Congress passed the Enabling Act , signed into law by outgoing President Grover Cleveland , authorizing the territories of Washington , North Dakota , South Dakota , and Montana to form state governments. The Territorial Assembly set out to convene
360-846: Is $ 185 as of 2022. East Coast of the United States The East Coast of the United States , also known as the Eastern Seaboard , the Atlantic Coast , and the Atlantic Seaboard , is the region encompassing the coastline where the Eastern United States meets the Atlantic Ocean . The Thirteen Colonies , which formed the United States in 1776 were located on this coast, and it has played an important role in
400-528: Is more likely to fall as rain than as snow, occasional heavy snow is possible. The East Coast, with the exception of eastern Maine, is a low-relief, passive margin coast. It has been shaped by the Pleistocene glaciation in the far northern areas in New England, with offshore islands such as Nantucket , Martha's Vineyard , Block Island , and Fishers Island . From northern New Jersey southward,
440-524: Is more likely to fall as rain than as snow, occasional heavy snow is possible. The area from the southern Delmarva Peninsula , southeast Virginia, and central North Carolina south to central Florida is humid subtropical ( Cfa/Cf ), with hot and rainy summers, mild and drier winters, and eight to twelve months above 50°F. Urban heat island exclaves of this zone are found north of this area in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. The region of Florida from
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#1732787767766480-509: Is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Washington . It is a bicameral body, composed of the lower Washington House of Representatives , composed of 98 Representatives, and the upper Washington State Senate , with 49 Senators plus the Lieutenant Governor acting as president. The state is divided into 49 legislative districts, each of which elect one senator and two representatives. The State Legislature meets in
520-429: Is the federal capital and political nerve center of the United States. Many organizations such as defense contractors, civilian contractors, nonprofit organizations, lobbying firms, trade unions, industry trade groups and professional associations have their headquarters in or near Washington, D.C., in order to be close to the federal government . Miami is one of the top domestic and international travel destinations in
560-683: The Columbia River to the U.S. federal government to legally separate from the Oregon Territory . The Washington Territorial Assembly, as the newly created area's bicameral legislature, convened the following year. The legislature represented settlers from the Strait of Juan de Fuca to modern Montana . From nearly the start of the territory, arguments over giving women the right to vote dogged legislative proceedings. While some legislators carried genuine concerns over women deserving
600-781: The Delaware River and the Potomac River , respectively, both of which are tidal arms of the Atlantic Ocean. The original Thirteen Colonies of Great Britain in North America all lay along the East Coast. Two additional U.S. states on the East Coast were not among the original Thirteen Colonies: Maine became part of the English Colony of Massachusetts in 1677 and Florida was held by
640-716: The Easter season. Delaware Colony and the provinces of New Jersey , New York , and Pennsylvania had been colonized by the Dutch as New Netherland until they were ceded to the British in the mid- to late-17th century. Until 1791, Vermont was an independent nation as the Vermont Republic . Three basic climate regions occur on the East Coast according to the Köppen climate classification and four occur according to
680-476: The Trewartha climate classification from north to south based on the monthly mean temperature of the coldest month (January) and the number of months averaging above 50 °F (10 °C), respectively. The region from northern Maine and Upstate New York south to almost all of Connecticut, most of northern New Jersey (except for areas close enough to New York City ), most of Pennsylvania, and western Maryland has
720-529: The 1883 universal suffrage act as unconstitutional in Harland v. Washington . Another attempt by the legislature to regrant universal female suffrage was again overturned in 1888. After two failed voter referendums in 1889 and 1897, activism led by Emma Smith DeVoe and May Arkwright Hutton , among others, led the state legislature to approve the state constitutional amendment granting full female voting rights, which Washington's (male) voters ratified in 1910 by
760-506: The British from the end of the French and Indian War until 1781 and was part of New Spain until 1821. In present-day Florida, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León made the first textual records of the state during his 1513 voyage. The state was initially named for Ponce de Ponce de León, who called the peninsula La Pascua Florida in recognition of the verdant landscape and because it was
800-779: The East Coast is connected from the Annisquam River in Gloucester, Massachusetts to Miami, Florida , by the Intracoastal Waterway , also known as the East Coast Canal, which was completed in 1912. Amtrak's Downeaster and Northeast Regional offer the main passenger rail service on the Seaboard. The Acela Express offers the only high-speed rail passenger service in the Americas, by
840-754: The Legislative Building at the Washington State Capitol in Olympia . As of January 2023, Democrats control both houses of the Washington State Legislature. Democrats hold a 58–40 majority in the House of Representatives and a 29–20 majority in the Senate. The Washington State Legislature traces its ancestry to the creation of the Washington Territory in 1853, following successful arguments from settlers north of
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#1732787767766880-415: The United States. Miami is the warmest major city in the continental United States in winter, which contributes to it being a major tourism hub for international visitors. Miami has one of the largest concentrations of international banks in the United States, and the third-largest skyline in the U.S. with over 439 high-rises, 68 of which exceed 490 ft (149 m). Port of Miami is the busiest cruise port in
920-460: The coastal plain broadens southwards, separated from the Piedmont region by the Atlantic Seaboard fall line of the East Coast rivers, often marking the head of navigation and prominent sites of cities. The coastal areas from Long Island south to Florida are often made up of barrier islands that front the coastal areas, with the long stretches of sandy beaches. Many of the larger capes along
960-586: The development of the United States. The region is generally understood to include the U.S. states that border the Atlantic Ocean: Connecticut , Delaware , Florida , Georgia , Maine , Maryland , Massachusetts , New Hampshire , New Jersey , New York , North Carolina , Rhode Island , South Carolina , and Virginia , as well as the federal capital of Washington, D.C. , and non-coastline states: Pennsylvania , Vermont , and West Virginia . The place name East Coast derives from
1000-522: The first spot in the United States that immigrants arrived and the close proximity of Europe , the Caribbean , and Latin America , the East Coast is home to a diverse population and home to multi-cultures when compared to the rest of the U.S. From the strong Latin culture in southern Florida , to the 200-year-old Gullah culture of the low country coastal islands of Georgia and South Carolina , to
1040-454: The framework provided by the mandates of the Act, local governments have many choices regarding the specific content of comprehensive plans and implementing development regulations. GMA planning requirements apply on a county-by-county basis. While all counties must adopt development regulations that designate and protect critical areas and designate natural resource lands, only some are subject to
1080-730: The idea that the contiguous 48 states are defined by two major coastlines, one at the western edge and one on the eastern edge. Other terms for referring to this area include the Eastern Seaboard , which is another term for coastline, Atlantic Coast, and Atlantic Seaboard because the coastline lies along the Atlantic Ocean . The 14 states that have a shoreline on the Atlantic Ocean are (from north to south): Maine , New Hampshire , Massachusetts , Rhode Island , Connecticut , New York , New Jersey , Delaware , Maryland , Virginia , North Carolina , South Carolina , Georgia , and Florida . Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. border
1120-417: The largest city and the largest metropolitan area on the East Coast. The East Coast is the most populated coastal area in the United States. Hartford The primary Interstate Highway along the East Coast is Interstate 95 , completed in 2018, which replaced the historic U.S. Route 1 ( Atlantic Highway ), the original federal highway that traversed all East Coast states, except Delaware . By water,
1160-474: The legislature on the issue. In 1883, the issue returned to the floor, this time with the Territorial Assembly successfully passing universal suffrage for women. It quickly became one of the most liberal voting laws in the nation, giving female African-American voters the voting franchise for the first time in the United States. However, in 1887, the territorial Washington Supreme Court ruled
1200-1441: The lenient US definition of high speed rail. Between New York and Boston the Acela Express has up to a 54% share of the combined train and air passenger market. Some of the largest airports in the United States are located along the East Coast of the United States, such as John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens , New York City , Logan International Airport in Boston , Newark Liberty Airport in Newark, New Jersey , Philadelphia International Airport in Philadelphia , Baltimore–Washington International Airport near Baltimore , Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C. , Hartsfield–Jackson International Airport in Atlanta , Miami International Airport in Miami , Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina , Tampa International Airport in Tampa , and Orlando International Airport in Orlando, Florida . As
1240-463: The lower East Coast are in fact barrier islands, like the Outer Banks of North Carolina and Cape Canaveral , Florida. The Florida Keys are made up of limestone coral and provide the only coral reefs on the U.S. mainland. In 2010, the population of the states that have shoreline on the East Coast was estimated at 112,642,503 (about 36% of the country's total population). New York City is both
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1280-538: The many historic cities in the Mid-Atlantic , where a strong English, German, Italian, Irish, and French culture are present, the East Coast is significantly more diverse than the rest of the United States. Numerous Chinatowns in New York City , and Little Havana in Miami , are examples of such cultural centers in the bigger cities. The East Coast is home to much of the political and financial power and
1320-465: The more significant storms to have affected the region. The least common climate on the East Coast is the oceanic ( Cfb/Do ), which is only found on Block Island , Nantucket , and the Outer Cape and Chatham on Cape Cod , and in areas of the southern Appalachian Mountains . This zone has all monthly averages between 0 and 22 °C and six to seven months above 50 °F. Although winter precipitation
1360-448: The rest of the planning requirements. Some counties, based on population and growth trends, had or have a choice whether to plan under the GMA process or the pre-GMA process; others do not. A central feature of GMA planning is that counties designate urban growth areas (UGA) and must plan for all urban growth to happen in those areas alone. Cities are not allowed to annex and generally not even to extend urban services to places not within
1400-490: The right to vote, most legislators pragmatically believed that giving women suffrage would entice more Eastern women to immigrate to the remote and sparsely populated territory. In 1854, only six years after the Seneca Falls Convention , the issue was brought to a vote by the legislature. Women's suffrage was defeated in a tied vote of 9 to 9 (an absolute majority, or 10 votes, was needed to pass laws). This
1440-845: The south-central region of the state south to the Florida Keys has a tropical climate ( Af/Aw/Ar ) that is usually frost-free and warm to hot all year, and all of the 12 months of the year average above 18 °C (64.4 °F). This region of Florida is the only tropical climate in the continental U.S. Although landfalls are rare, the Eastern Seaboard is susceptible to hurricanes in the Atlantic hurricane season, officially running from June 1 to November 30, although hurricanes can occur before or after these dates. Hurricanes Hazel , Hugo , Bob , Isabel , Irene , and Sandy , and most recently Florence , Isaias , Henri , and Ida are some of
1480-421: The state central committee of the party selects the candidates and the boards of county commissioners of all the counties jointly choose one. As of July 2022, legislators receive an annual salary of $ 57,876. The Speaker of the House and Senate majority leader receive salaries of $ 66,016, while the House and Senate minority leaders receive salaries of $ 61,946. Per diem is set at 89% of the federal per diem rate and
1520-439: The urban growth area. The state forecasts population growth for each county and the county is required to designate where development to support the future population will happen. The Growth Management Hearings Board hears and determines allegations that a government agency has not complied with the GMA or the related Shoreline Management Act (SMA, Chapter 90.58 RCW). A 1991 law amended the GMA to create three regional boards, but
1560-561: Was created. The bicameral body is composed of legislators, beginning the legislative session annually on the second Monday in January. In odd-numbered years, when the state budget is debated upon, the State Legislature meets for 105 days, and in even-numbered years for 60 days. The Governor of Washington can call legislators in for a special 30-day session at any time. Legislators also can call themselves into special session by
1600-543: Was due to one legislator voting against this bill because he had an American Indian wife and only white women would have been able to vote. A decade later, the Wyoming Legislature would become the first body in the United States to grant women's suffrage in 1869. The issue over female suffrage did not diminish. In 1871 Susan B. Anthony and Thurston County Representative Daniel Bigelow addressed
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