SENATE BILL REPORT

                                   ESB 5432

                       AS PASSED SENATE, MARCH 20, 1991

Brief Description:  Funding programs from the public safety and education account.

SPONSORS:Senators Patterson, Vognild, Snyder, Skratek, Hansen, Oke, Madsen, McMullen, von Reichbauer, Thorsness and Conner; by request of Legislative Transportation Committee.

SENATE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION

Majority Report:  Do pass.

      Signed by Senators Patterson, Chairman; Nelson, Vice Chairman; von Reichbauer, Vice Chairman; Barr, Erwin, Hansen, Madsen, McMullen, Oke, Sellar, Skratek, Thorsness, and Vognild. 

Staff:  Brad Lovaas (786‑7307)

Hearing Dates:February 13, 1991

BACKGROUND:

The public safety education account (PSEA) contains the state's portion of penalties and assessments collected by the courts.  For the 1991-93 biennium, about $67 million out of $89 million PSEA revenues will come from traffic related offenses.

Currently there are a number of programs that qualify for appropriations from the public safety and education account within the general fund.  The eligible programs and/or agencies constitute a wide range of activities in state government.  For instance, the crime victims compensation program within Labor and Industries, the judicial information system for the Administrator for the Courts and the driver improvement program at the Department of Licensing qualify, as do many other programs and/or agencies. 

SUMMARY:

Starting with the 1993-95 biennium, the revenue currently going to the PSEA shall be divided into two separate accounts.  Seventy percent shall go to the current PSEA for crime victims' compensation as well as other currently authorized purposes.  The remaining 30 percent shall be deposited in a newly created traffic safety and enforcement account which shall be used exclusively for transportation purposes, including high school driver training, traffic safety education, highway safety, the safety education officer program, commercial vehicle enforcement, and other traffic safety and enforcement programs.

The House Appropriations, Senate Ways and Means, and Legislative Transportation Committees will perform a study of the sources and uses of PSEA revenue and make recommendations to the Legislature by July 1, 1992.

Appropriation:  none

Revenue:  none

Fiscal Note:  none requested

TESTIMONY FOR:  None

TESTIMONY AGAINST:  None

TESTIFIED:  No one