Z-0478.2  _______________________________________________

 

                          HOUSE BILL 1818

          _______________________________________________

 

State of Washington      54th Legislature     1995 Regular Session

 

By Representatives R. Fisher, Robertson, Scott, Costa, Mason, Ogden, Wolfe, Conway and Cody; by request of Washington State Patrol

 

Read first time 02/10/95.  Referred to Committee on Transportation.

 

Providing for criminal justice funding.



    AN ACT Relating to criminal justice funding; amending RCW 82.14.310 and 82.14.320; and reenacting and amending RCW 82.44.110.

 

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

 

    Sec. 1.  RCW 82.14.310 and 1993 sp.s. c 21 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

    (1) The county criminal justice assistance account is created in the state treasury. 

    (2) The moneys deposited in the county criminal justice assistance account for distribution under this section, less any moneys appropriated for purposes under RCW 82.44.110, 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 1989‑91 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, and which includes domestic violence services such as those provided by domestic violence programs, community advocates, and legal advocates, as defined in RCW 70.123.020.  Existing funding for purposes of this subsection is defined as calendar year 1989 actual operating expenditures for criminal justice purposes.  Calendar year 1989 actual operating expenditures for criminal justice purposes exclude the following:  Expenditures for extraordinary events not likely to reoccur, changes in contract provisions for criminal justice services, beyond the control of the local jurisdiction receiving the services, and major nonrecurring capital expenditures.

 

    Sec. 2.  RCW 82.14.320 and 1993 sp.s. c 21 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

    (1) The municipal criminal justice assistance account is created in the state treasury.

    (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(3) 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 account for distribution under this section, less any moneys appropriated for purposes under RCW 82.44.110, shall be distributed at such times as distributions are made under RCW 82.44.150.  The distributions shall be made as follows:

    (a) Unless reduced by this subsection, 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 one hundred seventy-five percent of the state-wide average crime rate.  No city may receive more than fifty percent of any moneys distributed under this subsection (a) but, if a city distribution is reduced as a result of exceeding the fifty percent limitation, the amount not distributed shall be distributed under (b) of this subsection.

    (b) The remainder of the moneys, including any moneys not distributed in subsection (2)(a) of this section, 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) Notwithstanding other provisions of this section, the distributions to any city that substantially decriminalizes or repeals its criminal code after July 1, 1990, and that does not reimburse the county for costs associated with criminal cases under RCW 3.50.800 or 3.50.805(2), shall be made to the county in which the city is located.

    (6) 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, and which includes domestic violence services such as those provided by domestic violence programs, community advocates, and legal advocates, as defined in RCW 70.123.020.  Existing funding for purposes of this subsection is defined as calendar year 1989 actual operating expenditures for criminal justice purposes.  Calendar year 1989 actual operating expenditures for criminal justice purposes exclude the following:  Expenditures for extraordinary events not likely to reoccur, changes in contract provisions for criminal justice services, beyond the control of the local jurisdiction receiving the services, and major nonrecurring capital expenditures.

 

    Sec. 3.  RCW 82.44.110 and 1993 sp.s. c 21 s 7 and 1993 c 492 s 253 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:

    The county auditor shall regularly, when remitting license fee receipts, pay over and account to the director of licensing for the excise taxes collected under the provisions of this chapter.  The director shall forthwith transmit the excise taxes to the state treasurer.

    (1) The state treasurer shall deposit the excise taxes collected under RCW 82.44.020(1) as follows:

    (a) 1.60 percent into the motor vehicle fund to defray administrative and other expenses incurred by the department in the collection of the excise tax.

    (b) 8.15 percent into the Puget Sound capital construction account in the motor vehicle fund.

    (c) 4.07 percent into the Puget Sound ferry operations account in the motor vehicle fund.

    (d) 5.88 percent into the general fund to be distributed under RCW 82.44.155.

    (e) 4.75 percent into the municipal sales and use tax equalization account in the general fund created in RCW 82.14.210.

    (f) 1.60 percent into the county sales and use tax equalization account in the general fund created in RCW 82.14.200.

    (g) 62.6440 percent into the general fund through June 30, 1995, and 57.6440 percent into the general fund beginning July 1, 1995.

    (h) 5 percent into the transportation fund created in RCW 82.44.180 beginning July 1, 1995.

    (i) 5.9686 percent into the county criminal justice assistance account created in RCW 82.14.310.

    (j) 1.1937 percent into the municipal criminal justice assistance account for distribution under RCW 82.14.320.

    (k) 1.1937 percent into the municipal criminal justice assistance account for distribution under RCW 82.14.330.

    (l) 2.95 percent into the general fund to be distributed by the state treasurer to county health departments to be used exclusively for public health.  The state treasurer shall distribute these funds proportionately among the counties based on population as determined by the most recent United States census.

    Notwithstanding (i) through (k) of this subsection, no more than sixty million dollars shall be deposited into the accounts specified in (i) through (k) of this subsection for the period January 1, 1994, through June 30, 1995.  Not more than seven percent of the funds deposited to these accounts shall be available for appropriations for enhancements to the telecommunication and criminal history information systems and the state patrol crime laboratory system and the continuing costs related to these enhancements.  For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1998, and for each fiscal year thereafter, the amounts deposited into the accounts specified in (i) through (k) of this subsection shall not increase by more than the amounts deposited into those accounts in the previous fiscal year increased by the implicit price deflator for the previous fiscal year.  Any revenues in excess of this amount shall be deposited into the general fund.

    (2) The state treasurer shall deposit the excise taxes collected under RCW 82.44.020(2) into the transportation fund.

    (3) The state treasurer shall deposit the excise tax imposed by RCW 82.44.020(3) into the air pollution control account created by RCW 70.94.015.

 


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