Z-1246.1  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 6449

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      54th Legislature     1996 Regular Session

By Senators Quigley, Moyer, Wojahn and Winsley; by request of Governor Lowry

Read first time 01/15/96.  Referred to Committee on Health & Long‑Term Care.

Revising financing of expenses for hospital data collection and reporting.

    AN ACT Relating to financing of expenses for hospital data collection and reporting; and amending RCW 70.170.080.

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

    Sec. 1.  RCW 70.170.080 and 1993 sp.s. c 24 s 925 are each amended to read as follows:

    The basic expenses for the hospital data collection and reporting activities of this chapter shall be financed through the health services account effective July 1, 1996.  Any funds remaining in the hospital commission account after June 30, 1996, shall be transferred to the health services account and the hospital commission account is eliminated.  If specific funding through the health services account is not provided, the data collection expenses shall be financed by an assessment against hospitals of no more than four one-hundredths of one percent of each hospital's gross operating costs((, to be levied and collected from and after that date, upon which the similar assessment levied under chapter 70.39 RCW is terminated, for the provision of hospital services for its last fiscal year)) incurred during its fiscal year ending on or before June 30th of the preceding calendar year.  Budgetary requirements in excess of that limit must be financed by a general fund appropriation by the legislature.  All moneys collected under this section shall be deposited by the state treasurer in the hospital data collection account which is hereby created in the state treasury.  The department may also charge, receive, and dispense funds or authorize any contractor or outside sponsor to charge for and reimburse the costs associated with special studies as specified in RCW 70.170.050.

    ((During the 1993-1995 fiscal biennium,)) Moneys in the hospital data collection account may be expended, pursuant to appropriation, for hospital data collection, maintenance, analysis, and dissemination and the administration of the health information program.

    Any amounts raised by the collection of assessments from hospitals provided for in this section which are not required to meet appropriations in the budget act for the current fiscal year shall be available to the department in succeeding years.

                            --- END ---