HOUSE BILL REPORT

SHB 1259

BYHouse Committee on Local Government (originally sponsored by Representatives Scott, Cole, Heavey, Padden, Crane, P. King, R. Meyers, Belcher, Schmidt, Moyer, Tate, Patrick, Anderson, Jacobsen, Kremen, Todd, G. Fisher, Doty, Winsley, Baugher and Silver)

Exempting guide and service dogs from local license fees.

House Committe on Local Government

Majority Report:  The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  (14)

      Signed by Representatives Haugen, Chair; Cooper, Vice Chair; Ferguson, Ranking Republican Member; Horn, Nealey, Nelson, Nutley, Phillips, Raiter, Rayburn, Todd, Wolfe, Wood and Zellinsky.

House Staff:Steve Lundin (786-7127)

AS PASSED HOUSE MARCH 2, 1989

BACKGROUND:

State law provides that a totally or partially blind, hearing impaired, or physically disabled person has the right to be accompanied by a guide dog or service dog on common carriers, airplanes, railroad trains, motor buses, street cars, all other public conveyances, hotels, places of lodging, places of public resort, accommodation, assemblage or amusement, and all other places to which the general public is invited.

A guide dog is defined in law as a dog in working harness that has been trained or approved by an accredited school for the purpose of guiding blind persons or assisting hearing impaired persons.  A service dog is defined in law as a dog that has been trained or approved by an accredited school for the purposes of assisting or accommodating a physically disabled person related to the person's physical disability.

Counties, cities and towns are authorized to license dogs.

SUMMARY:

A county, city or town must honor a request from a blind person or a hearing impaired person to not pay a dog license fee for his or her guide dog.  A county, city or town must honor a request from a physically disabled person to not pay a dog license fee for his or her service dog.

Fiscal Note:      Not Requested.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    Representative Pat Scott, Prime Sponsor; and John Herring, citizen.

House Committee - Testified Against:      None Presented.

House Committee - Testimony For:    This is good.  A city used to require dog licenses for all dogs, including guide or service dogs, but amended its ordinance when this issue arose.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      None Presented.