HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  SB 5042

                      As Passed House:

                        April 4, 1995

Title:  An act relating to ordinance information pooling.

Brief Description:  Directing cities and towns to deliver copies of new ordinances to the municipal research council.

Sponsors:  Senators Winsley and Haugen.

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Government Operations:  3/17/95, 3/21/95 [DP].

Floor Activity:

Passed House:  4/4/95, 96-1.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS

Majority Report:  Do pass.  Signed by 14 members:  Representatives Reams, Chairman; Goldsmith, Vice Chairman; L. Thomas, Vice Chairman; Rust, Ranking Minority Member; Scott, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Chopp; R. Fisher; Hargrove; Honeyford; Hymes; Mulliken; D. Schmidt; Van Luven and Wolfe.

Staff:  Steve Lundin (786-7127).

Background:  Cities and towns are classified into different classes, including first class cities, second class cities, towns, unclassified cities, and code cities.  One hundred fifty seven out of 272 cities and towns are classified as code cities.

Each code city is required to provide three copies of every ordinance of general applicability that it adopts to the Association of Washington Cities without charge.  Other classes of cities and towns do not have similar requirements.

The Association of Washington Cities is a nonprofit corporation established to provide assistance to cities and towns on personnel and labor relations, budgeting, energy, transportation, planning, and community relations.  The Municipal Research Council is a state agency, funded by motor vehicle excise tax receipts, that contracts for the provision of legal and technical research for cities and towns.

Summary of Bill:  The provision of code city law is deleted requiring each code city to provide three copies of every ordinance of general applicability that it adopts to the Association of Washington Cities without charge.

Every city and town is directed, but not required, to send a copy of each regulatory ordinance, and any other type of ordinance designated by the Municipal Research Council, to the Municipal Research Council without charge promptly after adoption.  The purpose of sending a copy of ordinances to the Municipal Research Council is to assist cities and towns by providing a single source of information on city and town ordinances that have been adopted.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

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

Testimony For:  The bill changes the law to match what is actually needed.  The repository of city ordinances helps smaller cities.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Jim Justin, Association of Washington Cities.