SENATE BILL REPORT

                   SB 6718

              As Passed Senate, February 9, 1996

Title:  An act relating to archives and records management.

Brief Description:  Funding local government archives and records management.

Sponsors:  Senators Sutherland, McDonald, Finkbeiner, Winsley, Haugen and Hochstatter; by request of State Archivist.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  Ways & Means:  2/5/96, 2/6/96 [DP].

Passed Senate, 2/9/96, 41-6.

SENATE COMMITTEE ON WAYS & MEANS

Majority Report:  Do pass.

  Signed by Senators Rinehart, Chair; Loveland, Vice Chair; Bauer, Drew, Fraser, Hargrove, Kohl, Long, McDonald, Moyer, Pelz, Quigley, Sheldon, Snyder, Spanel, Sutherland, Winsley and Wojahn.

Staff:  Steve Jones (786-7440)

Background:  The Secretary of State, through the Division of Archives and Records Management, provides for the preservation and storage of the official records of state agencies and 1,200 local government entities through a system of central archives and five regional branches.  The division is funded through revolving fund charges assessed against state agencies based on the size of each agency (FTE's) and the volume of records generated.

In the 1993 biennial budget act, the Legislature directed the Secretary of State to assess archives charges against local governments to cover the cost of archive services being provided to the local governments.  In 1994, the Legislature imposed a $20 surcharge on the filing of unpaid tax warrants in Superior Court.  The revenue from this surcharge was intended to provide local governments with sufficient funds to pay the cost of local archive services.  However, the revenue produced by the surcharge was only 37 percent of the anticipated funds, creating a shortfall of approximately $200,000.

Summary of Bill:  County auditors are directed to impose a $1 surcharge on each document filed with the auditor.  This surcharge is transmitted to the State Treasurer for deposit in the Archives and Records Management Account and may be used solely for local government archives and records services.

The $1 surcharge may be adjusted periodically in increments of 25 cents to reflect increases in the fiscal growth factor, which was established by Initiative 601 and reflects the three-year average increase in state population and inflation.

The surcharge on the filing of unpaid tax warrants is continued, with the proceeds dedicated to local government records services, including disaster recovery, essential records protection services, and records management training.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Requested February 2, 1996.

Effective Date:  The bill takes effect on July 1, 1996.

Testimony For:  The workload of the State Archives is increasing dramatically, and the state does not have the resources to respond to the needs of local government.  The state's capital investment in regional branch archives cannot be fully functional without adequate staffing.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  PRO:  Ralph Munro, Secretary of State; George Scott, State Archivist; Sam Reed, Thurston County Auditor.

House Amendment(s):  The periodic adjustment to the surcharge, based on the fiscal growth factor, is deleted.  The surcharge expires on June 30, 2001, and is subject to review prior to expiration.