S-4357.1  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 6555

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      54th Legislature     1996 Regular Session

By Senator Sutherland

Read first time 01/17/96.  Referred to Committee on Energy, Telecommunications & Utilities.

Distributing state-owned electronic access equipment.

    AN ACT Relating to electronic access equipment; and adding a new section to chapter 43.19 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 43.19 RCW to read as follows:

    Before the sale or exchange of state-owned equipment, the division of purchasing shall make available for use at no cost, or the least possible cost, to local governments and nonprofit organizations whose primary purpose is to widely distribute government and community information in electronic formats, any equipment that could be used to expand public electronic access to government information.  For the purposes of this section, state equipment includes, but is not limited to, computer hardware, computer software, facsimile machines, and telecommunications equipment.  The division shall donate or sell the equipment if the following conditions have been met:

    (1) The division of purchasing has made reasonable efforts to determine if any state agency has a requirement for the equipment and no such agency has been identified;

    (2) The recipient of the equipment is a government of local jurisdiction within the state of Washington, or a nonprofit organization whose primary purpose is to widely distribute government and community information in electronic formats;

    (3) The equipment is being used solely to expand public electronic access to government and community information to Washington residents.

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