H-0733

AN ACT Relating to local government; amending RCW 82.14.310, 82.14.315, 82.14.320, 82.14.330, 82.14.340, and 63.29.190; and declaring an emergency.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1. RCW 82.14.310 and 1990 2nd ex.s. c 1 s 102 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The county criminal justice assistance account is created in the state treasury. The account shall consist of all motor vehicle excise tax receipts deposited into the account under chapter 82.44 RCW.

(2) The moneys deposited in the county criminal justice assistance account for distribution under this section shall be distributed at such times as distributions are made under RCW 82.44.150 and on the relative basis of each county's funding factor as determined under this subsection.

(a) A county's funding factor is the sum of:

(i) The population of the county, divided by one thousand, and multiplied by two-tenths;

(ii) The crime rate of the county, multiplied by three-tenths; and

(iii) The annual number of criminal cases filed in the county superior court, for each one thousand in population, multiplied by five-tenths.

(b) Under this section and RCW 82.14.320 and 82.14.330:

(i) The population of the county or city shall be as last determined by the office of financial management;

(ii) The crime rate of the county or city is the annual occurrence of specified criminal offenses, as calculated in the most recent annual report on crime in Washington state as published by the Washington association of sheriffs and police chiefs, for each one thousand in population;

(iii) The annual number of criminal cases filed in the county superior court shall be determined by the most recent annual report of the courts of Washington, as published by the office of the administrator for the courts.

(iv) Distributions and eligibility for distributions in the 89-91 biennium shall be based on 1988 figures for both the crime rate as described under (ii) of this subsection and the annual number of criminal cases that are filed as described under (iii) of this subsection. Future distributions shall be based on the most recent figures for both the crime rate as described under (ii) of this subsection and the annual number of criminal cases that are filed as described under (iii) of this subsection.

(3) Moneys distributed under this section shall be expended exclusively for criminal justice purposes and shall not be used to replace or supplant existing funding. Criminal justice purposes are defined as activities that substantially assist the criminal justice system, which may include circumstances where ancillary benefit to the civil justice system occurs. Existing funding for purposes of this subsection is defined as calendar year 1989 actual operating expenditures for criminal justice purposes.

(4) This section expires January 1, 1994.

Sec. 2. RCW 82.14.315 and 1990 2nd ex.s. c 1 s 103 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The moneys appropriated for distribution under this section shall be distributed at such times as distributions are made under RCW 82.44.150. Such moneys shall be distributed to the counties of the state ratably on the basis of population as last determined by the office of financial management.

(2) Moneys distributed under this section shall be expended exclusively for criminal justice purposes and shall not be used to replace or supplant existing funding. Criminal justice purposes are defined as activities that substantially assist the criminal justice system, which may include circumstances where ancillary benefit to the civil justice system occurs. Existing funding for purposes of this subsection is defined as calendar year 1989 actual operating expenditures for criminal justice purposes.

(3) This section expires July 1, 1991.

Sec. 3. RCW 82.14.320 and 1990 2nd ex.s. c 1 s 104 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The municipal criminal justice assistance account is created in the state treasury. The account shall consist of all motor vehicle excise tax receipts deposited into the account under chapter 82.44 RCW.

(2) No city may receive a distribution under this section from the municipal criminal justice assistance account unless:

(a) The city has a crime rate in excess of one hundred twenty-five percent of the state-wide average as calculated in the most recent annual report on crime in Washington state as published by the Washington association of sheriffs and police chiefs;

(b) The city has levied the tax authorized in RCW 82.14.030(2) at the maximum rate or the tax authorized in RCW 82.46.010(2) at the maximum rate; and

(c) The city has a per capita yield from the tax imposed under RCW 82.14.030(1) at the maximum rate of less than one hundred fifty percent of the state-wide average per capita yield for all cities from such local sales and use tax.

(3) The moneys deposited in the municipal criminal justice ((~~[assistance]~~)) assistance account for distribution under this section shall be distributed at such times as distributions are made under RCW 82.44.150. The distributions shall be made as follows:

(a) Thirty percent of the moneys shall be distributed ratably based on population as last determined by the office of financial management to those cities eligible under subsection (2) of this section that have a crime rate determined under subsection (2)(a) of this section which is greater than two times the state-wide average crime rate. No city may receive more than fifty percent of any moneys distributed under this subsection (a).

(b) The remainder of the moneys shall be distributed to all cities eligible under subsection (2) of this section ratably based on population as last determined by the office of financial management.

(4) No city may receive more than thirty percent of all moneys distributed under subsection (3) of this section.

(5) Moneys distributed under this section shall be expended exclusively for criminal justice purposes and shall not be used to replace or supplant existing funding. Criminal justice purposes are defined as activities that substantially assist the criminal justice system, which may include circumstances where ancillary benefit to the civil justice system occurs. Existing funding for purposes of this subsection is defined as calendar year 1989 actual operating expenditures for criminal justice purposes.

(6) This section expires January 1, 1994.

Sec. 4. RCW 82.14.330 and 1990 2nd ex.s. c 1 s 105 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The moneys deposited in the municipal criminal justice assistance account for distribution under this section shall be distributed at such times as distributions are made under RCW 82.44.150. Such moneys shall be distributed to the cities of the state as follows:

(a) For fiscal year 1991, each city with a population of under ten thousand shall receive a distribution of three thousand two hundred fifty dollars. Any remaining moneys shall be distributed to all cities ratably on the basis of population as last determined by the office of financial management.

(b) For fiscal year 1992 and thereafter, each city with a population of under ten thousand shall receive a distribution of two thousand seven hundred fifty dollars. Any remaining moneys shall be distributed to all cities ratably on the basis of population as last determined by the office of financial management.

(3) This section expires January 1, 1994.

Sec. 5. RCW 82.14.340 and 1990 2nd ex.s. c 1 s 901 are each amended to read as follows:

The legislative authority of any county with a population of two hundred thousand or more, and any other county with a population of one hundred fifty thousand or more that has had its population increase by at least twenty-four percent during the preceding nine years, as certified by the office of financial management for the first day of April of each year, may and, if requested by resolution of the governing bodies of cities in the county with an aggregate population equal to or greater than fifty percent of the total population of the county, as last determined by the office of financial management, shall submit an authorizing proposition to the voters of the county and if approved by a majority of persons voting, fix and impose a sales and use tax in accordance with the terms of this chapter.

The tax authorized in this section shall be in addition to any other taxes authorized by law and shall be collected from those persons who are taxable by the state pursuant to chapters 82.08 and 82.12 RCW upon the occurrence of any taxable event within such county. The rate of tax shall equal one-tenth of one percent of the selling price (in the case of a sales tax) or value of the article used (in the case of a use tax).

When distributing moneys collected under this section, the state treasurer shall distribute ten percent of the moneys to the county in which the tax was collected. The remainder of the moneys collected under this section shall be distributed to the county and the cities within the county ratably based on population as last determined by the office of financial management. In making the distribution based on population, the county shall receive that proportion that the unincorporated population of the county bears to the total population of the county and each city shall receive that proportion that the city incorporated population bears to the total county population.

Moneys received from any tax imposed under this section shall be expended exclusively for criminal justice purposes and shall not be used to replace or supplant existing funding. Criminal justice purposes are defined as activities that substantially assist the criminal justice system, which may include circumstances where ancillary benefit to the civil justice system occurs. Existing funding for purposes of this subsection is defined as calendar year 1989 actual operating expenditures for criminal justice purposes.

This section expires January 1, 1994.

Sec. 6. RCW 63.29.190 and 1990 2nd ex.s. c 1 s 301 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Except as otherwise provided in subsections (2) and (3) of this section, a person who is required to file a report under RCW 63.29.170, within six months after the final date for filing the report as required by RCW 63.29.170, shall pay or deliver to the department all abandoned property required to be reported. Counties, cities, towns, and other municipal and quasi-municipal corporations that hold funds representing warrants canceled pursuant to RCW 36.22.100 and 39.56.040, uncashed checks, excess proceeds from property tax and irrigation district foreclosures, and property tax overpayments or refunds may retain the funds until the owner notifies them and establishes ownership as provided in RCW 63.29.135. Counties, cities, towns, or other municipal or quasi-municipal corporations shall provide to the department a report of property it is holding pursuant to this section. The report shall identify the property and owner in the manner provided in RCW 63.29.170 and the department shall publish the information as provided in RCW 63.29.180.

(2) If the owner establishes the right to receive the abandoned property to the satisfaction of the holder before the property has been delivered or it appears that for some other reason the presumption of abandonment is erroneous, the holder need not pay or deliver the property to the department, and the property will no longer be presumed abandoned. In that case, the holder shall file with the department a verified written explanation of the proof of claim or of the error in the presumption of abandonment.

(3) Property reported under RCW 63.29.170 for which the holder is not required to report the name of the apparent owner must be delivered to the department at the time of filing the report.

(4) The holder of an interest under RCW 63.29.100 shall deliver a duplicate certificate or other evidence of ownership if the holder does not issue certificates of ownership to the department. Upon delivery of a duplicate certificate to the department, the holder and any transfer agent, registrar, or other person acting for or on behalf of a holder in executing or delivering the duplicate certificate is relieved of all liability of every kind in accordance with RCW 63.29.200 to every person, including any person acquiring the original certificate or the duplicate of the certificate issued to the department, for any losses or damages resulting to any person by the issuance and delivery to the department of the duplicate certificate.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 8. This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and shall take effect immediately.