HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  SB 5220

                       As Passed House

                       April 10, 1991

Title:  An act relating to railroad crossing inspection fees.

Brief Description:  Modifying railroad crossing inspection fees.

Sponsor(s):  Senators Patterson and Vognild; by request of Utilities & Transportation Commission.

Brief History:

  Reported by House Committee on:

Transportation, March 25, 1991, DP;

Passed House, April 10, 1991, 95-0.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON

TRANSPORTATION

Majority Report: Do pass.  Signed by 24 members:  Representatives R. Fisher, Chair; R. Meyers, Vice Chair; Betrozoff, Ranking Minority Member; Chandler, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Brough; Cantwell; Cooper; Day; G. Fisher; Forner; Haugen; Horn; P. Johnson; R. Johnson; Jones; Mitchell; Nelson; Orr; Prentice; Prince; Schmidt; Wilson; Wood; and Zellinsky.

Staff:  Mary McLaughlin (786-7309).

Background:  The Utilities & Transportation Commission (UTC) is charged with inspecting log and industrial railroad crossings located within the state that are owned by private railroad companies.  The maximum fee for these inspections was statutorily set in 1961 at $10 per inspection.

The UTC estimates that the cost of inspecting the 200 industrial railroad crossings in the state has risen to approximately $25 per inspection.

Summary of Bill:  The maximum $10 inspection fee for log and industrial grade crossing inspections is changed to an amount determined by the commission.  The fee is to be based on the cost of rendering inspection services.

Fiscal Note:  Available.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  Changing the inspection fee from a statutorily fixed fee to an amount determined by the commission will better reflect the cost of administering the program.

Testimony Against:  None.

Witnesses:  Carol Monohon, Utilities & Transportation Commission.