2790

AN ACT Relating to distribution of certain governmental lists and information; amending RCW 46.12.370 and 82.32.330; adding a new section to chapter 42.17 RCW; and adding a new section to chapter 82.32 RCW.

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

Sec. 1. RCW 46.12.370 and 1982 c 215 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

In addition to any other authority which it may have, the department of licensing may furnish lists of registered and legal owners of motor vehicles only for the purposes specified in this section to:

(1) The manufacturers of motor vehicles, or their authorized agents, to be used to enable those manufacturers to carry out the provisions of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966 (15 U.S.C. sec. 1382-1418), including amendments or additions thereto, respecting safety-related defects in motor vehicles;

(2) Any governmental agency of the United States or Canada, or political subdivisions thereof, to be used by it or by its authorized commercial agents or contractors only in connection with the enforcement of motor vehicle or traffic laws by, or programs related to traffic safety of, that government agency. Only such parts of the list as are required for completion of the work required of the agent or contractor shall be provided to such agent or contractor; ((or))

(3) Any business regularly making loans to other persons to finance the purchase of motor vehicles, to be used to assist the person requesting the list to determine ownership of specific vehicles for the purpose of determining whether or not to provide such financing. In the event a list of registered and legal owners of motor vehicles is used for any purpose other than that authorized in subsections (1)((~~, (2) and (3)~~)) through (4) of this section, the manufacturer, governmental agency, financial institution or their authorized agents or contractors responsible for the unauthorized disclosure or use will be denied further access to such information by the department of licensing; or

(4) To private companies that provide on-line computer data base services to federal, state, and local agencies for law enforcement or government purposes. The department shall first obtain the written agreement and assurances satisfactory to the agency of any company requesting information under this section that any list so obtained shall not be provided to any person other than as provided in this section.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 42.17 RCW to read as follows:

In addition to the provisions of RCW 42.17.260, state agencies may furnish lists that they maintain of public information, including such lists in computer readable form or on magnetic tape, that they make available to other federal, state, or local government agencies, including law enforcement agencies, to private companies that provide on-line computer data base services with data bases consisting primarily of public records. An agency shall first obtain the written agreement and assurances of the data base company satisfactory to the agency that the company will supply the lists and information so obtained only to federal, state, or local government agencies solely for law enforcement or governmental purposes.

Sec. 3. RCW 82.32.330 and 1995 c 197 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) For purposes of this section:

(a) "Disclose" means to make known to any person in any manner whatever a return or tax information;

(b) "Return" means a tax or information return or claim for refund required by, or provided for or permitted under, the laws of this state which is filed with the department of revenue by, on behalf of, or with respect to a person, and any amendment or supplement thereto, including supporting schedules, attachments, or lists that are supplemental to, or part of, the return so filed;

(c) "Tax information" means (i) a taxpayer's identity, (ii) the nature, source, or amount of the taxpayer's income, payments, receipts, deductions, exemptions, credits, assets, liabilities, net worth, tax liability deficiencies, overassessments, or tax payments, whether taken from the taxpayer's books and records or any other source, (iii) whether the taxpayer's return was, is being, or will be examined or subject to other investigation or processing, (iv) a part of a written determination that is not designated as a precedent and disclosed pursuant to RCW 82.32.410, or a background file document relating to a written determination, and (v) other data received by, recorded by, prepared by, furnished to, or collected by the department of revenue with respect to the determination of the existence, or possible existence, of liability, or the amount thereof, of a person under the laws of this state for a tax, penalty, interest, fine, forfeiture, or other imposition, or offense: PROVIDED, That data, material, or documents that do not disclose information related to a specific or identifiable taxpayer do not constitute tax information under this section. Except as provided by RCW 82.32.410, nothing in this chapter shall require any person possessing data, material, or documents made confidential and privileged by this section to delete information from such data, material, or documents so as to permit its disclosure;

(d) "State agency" means every Washington state office, department, division, bureau, board, commission, or other state agency;

(e) "Taxpayer identity" means the taxpayer's name, address, telephone number, registration number, or any combination thereof, or any other information disclosing the identity of the taxpayer; and

(f) "Department" means the department of revenue or its officer, agent, employee, or representative.

(2) Returns and tax information shall be confidential and privileged, and except as authorized by this section, neither the department of revenue nor any other person may disclose any return or tax information.

(3) The foregoing, however, shall not prohibit the department of revenue from:

(a) Disclosing such return or tax information in a civil or criminal judicial proceeding or an administrative proceeding:

(i) In respect of any tax imposed under the laws of this state if the taxpayer or its officer or other person liable under Title 82 RCW is a party in the proceeding; or

(ii) In which the taxpayer about whom such return or tax information is sought and another state agency are adverse parties in the proceeding;

(b) Disclosing, subject to such requirements and conditions as the director shall prescribe by rules adopted pursuant to chapter 34.05 RCW, such return or tax information regarding a taxpayer to such taxpayer or to such person or persons as that taxpayer may designate in a request for, or consent to, such disclosure, or to any other person, at the taxpayer's request, to the extent necessary to comply with a request for information or assistance made by the taxpayer to such other person: PROVIDED, That tax information not received from the taxpayer shall not be so disclosed if the director determines that such disclosure would compromise any investigation or litigation by any federal, state, or local government agency in connection with the civil or criminal liability of the taxpayer or another person, or that such disclosure would identify a confidential informant, or that such disclosure is contrary to any agreement entered into by the department that provides for the reciprocal exchange of information with other government agencies which agreement requires confidentiality with respect to such information unless such information is required to be disclosed to the taxpayer by the order of any court;

(c) Disclosing the name of a taxpayer with a deficiency greater than five thousand dollars and against whom a warrant under RCW 82.32.210 has been either issued or filed and remains outstanding for a period of at least ten working days. The department shall not be required to disclose any information under this subsection if a taxpayer: (i) Has been issued a tax assessment; (ii) has been issued a warrant that has not been filed; and (iii) has entered a deferred payment arrangement with the department of revenue and is making payments upon such deficiency that will fully satisfy the indebtedness within twelve months;

(d) Disclosing the name of a taxpayer with a deficiency greater than five thousand dollars and against whom a warrant under RCW 82.32.210 has been filed with a court of record and remains outstanding;

(e) Publishing statistics so classified as to prevent the identification of particular returns or reports or items thereof;

(f) Disclosing such return or tax information, for official purposes only, to the governor or attorney general, or to any state agency, or to any committee or subcommittee of the legislature dealing with matters of taxation, revenue, trade, commerce, the control of industry or the professions;

(g) Permitting the department of revenue's records to be audited and examined by the proper state officer, his or her agents and employees;

(h) Disclosing any such return or tax information to the proper officer of the internal revenue service of the United States, the Canadian government or provincial governments of Canada, or to the proper officer of the tax department of any state or city or town or county, for official purposes, but only if the statutes of the United States, Canada or its provincial governments, or of such other state or city or town or county, as the case may be, grants substantially similar privileges to the proper officers of this state;

(i) Disclosing any such return or tax information to the Department of Justice, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms of the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Defense, the United States customs service, the coast guard of the United States, and the United States department of transportation, or any authorized representative thereof, for official purposes;

(j) Publishing or otherwise disclosing the text of a written determination designated by the director as a precedent pursuant to RCW 82.32.410;

(k) Disclosing, in a manner that is not associated with other tax information, the taxpayer name, entity type, business address, mailing address, revenue tax registration numbers, standard industrial classification code of a taxpayer, and the dates of opening and closing of business. This subsection shall not be construed as giving authority to the department to give, sell, or provide access to any list of taxpayers for any commercial purpose except as provided in section 4 of this act; or

(l) Disclosing such return or tax information that is also maintained by another Washington state or local governmental agency as a public record available for inspection and copying under the provisions of chapter 42.17 RCW or is a document maintained by a court of record not otherwise prohibited from disclosure.

(4)(a) The department may disclose return or taxpayer information to a person under investigation or during any court or administrative proceeding against a person under investigation as provided in this subsection (4). The disclosure must be in connection with the department's official duties relating to an audit, collection activity, or a civil or criminal investigation. The disclosure may occur only when the person under investigation and the person in possession of data, materials, or documents are parties to the return or tax information to be disclosed. The department may disclose return or tax information such as invoices, contracts, bills, statements, resale or exemption certificates, or checks. However, the department may not disclose general ledgers, sales or cash receipt journals, check registers, accounts receivable/payable ledgers, general journals, financial statements, expert's workpapers, income tax returns, state tax returns, tax return workpapers, or other similar data, materials, or documents.

(b) Before disclosure of any tax return or tax information under this subsection (4), the department shall, through written correspondence, inform the person in possession of the data, materials, or documents to be disclosed. The correspondence shall clearly identify the data, materials, or documents to be disclosed. The department may not disclose any tax return or tax information under this subsection (4) until the time period allowed in (c) of this subsection has expired or until the court has ruled on any challenge brought under (c) of this subsection.

(c) The person in possession of the data, materials, or documents to be disclosed by the department has twenty days from the receipt of the written request required under (b) of this subsection to petition the superior court of the county in which the petitioner resides for injunctive relief. The court shall limit or deny the request of the department if the court determines that:

(i) The data, materials, or documents sought for disclosure are cumulative or duplicative, or are obtainable from some other source that is more convenient, less burdensome, or less expensive;

(ii) The production of the data, materials, or documents sought would be unduly burdensome or expensive, taking into account the needs of the department, the amount in controversy, limitations on the petitioner's resources, and the importance of the issues at stake; or

(iii) The data, materials, or documents sought for disclosure contain trade secret information that, if disclosed, could harm the petitioner.

(d) The department shall reimburse reasonable expenses for the production of data, materials, or documents incurred by the person in possession of the data, materials, or documents to be disclosed.

(e) Requesting information under (b) of this subsection that may indicate that a taxpayer is under investigation does not constitute a disclosure of tax return or tax information under this section.

(5) Any person acquiring knowledge of any return or tax information in the course of his or her employment with the department of revenue and any person acquiring knowledge of any return or tax information as provided under subsection (3) (f), (g), (h), or (i) of this section, who discloses any such return or tax information to another person not entitled to knowledge of such return or tax information under the provisions of this section, shall upon conviction be punished by a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars and, if the person guilty of such violation is an officer or employee of the state, such person shall forfeit such office or employment and shall be incapable of holding any public office or employment in this state for a period of two years thereafter.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. A new section is added to chapter 82.32 RCW to read as follows:

The department of revenue may furnish lists of taxpayer names, entity types, business addresses, mailing addresses, revenue tax registration numbers, standard industrial classification code of a taxpayer, and the dates of opening and closing of a business to companies that provide on-line computer data base services. The on-line computer companies shall provide the data bases consisting primarily of public records only to other federal, state, or local government agencies solely for law enforcement or government purposes. Before providing a list to a company under this section, the department shall obtain a written agreement that any list so provided shall be used only for the purposes specified in this section.