FINAL BILL REPORT

                  HB 1379

                         C 307 L 93

                     Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description:  Making housekeeping changes in various service programs of the department of licensing.

By Representatives R. Fisher, Schmidt, Jones, Brumsickle, Horn, Quall, Brown, Brough, Orr and Wood; by request of Department of Licensing.

House Committee on Transportation

Senate Committee on Transportation

Background:  The Department of Licensing (DOL) Vehicle Services Division is comprised of Title and Registration Services, Dealer Services and Fuel Tax Services.  This legislation proposes changes in several of the programs administered by Vehicle Services.  The programs affected by the proposed changes are passenger vehicle titling and registration, vehicle dealer licensing, and the licensing of commercial motor vehicles.

Summary:  The Department of Licensing and its agents are authorized to transmit certificates of title in electronic form.

The period of time for filing a claim for refund of license fee overpayments is extended from 13 months to 36 months.  This brings the refund period for a license fee into conformance with the current refund period for the motor vehicle excise tax.

The period of time in which the Department of Licensing (DOL) must inspect a vehicle dealer at least once is extended from 32 months to 36 months.

Obsolete language regarding licensing of vehicle salespersons is deleted; the licensing of vehicle salespersons was discontinued in 1986.

The gross misdemeanor penalty for unlicensed dealer activity is brought into conformance with other gross misdemeanor penalties in statute.

Two sections of statute are recodified from the titling statutes to the vehicle dealer statutes.

The staggering of renewal periods for licensing of Washington-based motor vehicles and commercial trucks registered under the International Registration Plan is authorized.

The interest rate on delinquent taxes is changed from 12 percent per annum to 1 percent per month to bring this section of law into conformance with other tax laws.

A section dealing with dealer penalties and a section addressing quarterly payment of proportional registration licensing fees are repealed.

Votes on Final Passage:

House  97 0

Senate 44 1 (Senate amended)

House            (House refused to concur)

Senate 42 0 (Senate receded)

Effective:  July 25, 1993