S-0361.1  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 5181

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      54th Legislature     1995 Regular Session

By Senators Winsley, Haugen and Hale

Read first time 01/13/95.  Referred to Committee on Government Operations.

Using charge cards by certain public entities.

    AN ACT Relating to the use of charge cards by municipal corporations and political subdivisions; and amending RCW 42.24.115.

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

    Sec. 1.  RCW 42.24.115 and 1984 c 203 s 5 are each amended to read as follows:

    (1) Any municipal corporation or political subdivision may provide for the issuance of charge cards to officers and employees for the ((sole)) purpose of covering reasonable and necessary municipal expenses, including those expenses incident to authorized travel.  Cash advances on these cards is prohibited.  The local legislative authority shall set the charge card limits.

    (2) Upon billing or no later than ((ten)) thirty days of the billing date, the officer or employee using a charge card issued under this section shall submit a fully itemized ((travel)) expense voucher.  Any charges against the charge card not properly identified on the ((travel)) expense voucher or not allowed following the audit required under RCW 42.24.080 shall be paid by the official or employee by check, United States currency, or salary deduction.

    (3) If, for any reason, disallowed charges are not repaid before the charge card billing is due and payable, the municipal corporation or political subdivision shall have a prior lien against and a right to withhold any and all funds payable or to become payable to the official or employee up to an amount of the disallowed charges and interest at the same rate as charged by the company which issued the charge card.  Any official or employee who has been issued a charge card by a municipal corporation or political subdivision shall not use the card if any disallowed charges are outstanding and shall surrender the card upon demand of the auditing officer.  The municipal corporation or political subdivision shall have unlimited authority to revoke use of any charge card issued under this section, and, upon such revocation order being delivered to the charge card company, shall not be liable for any costs.

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