HOUSE BILL REPORT

                 SSB 6229

                      As Passed House:

                        March 4, 1998

Title:  An act relating to compliance with aircraft registration laws.

Brief Description:  Enhancing compliance with aircraft registration laws.

Sponsors:  Senate Committee on Transportation (originally sponsored by Senators Haugen, Morton, Goings, Winsley, Prince, Rasmussen, Prentice and Wood).

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Transportation Policy & Budget:  2/24/98, 2/26/98 [DP].

Floor Activity:

Passed House:  3/4/98, 98-0.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION POLICY & BUDGET

Majority Report:  Do pass.  Signed by 25 members:  Representatives K. Schmidt, Chairman; Hankins, Vice Chairman; Mielke, Vice Chairman; Mitchell, Vice Chairman; Fisher, Ranking Minority Member; Cooper, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Backlund; Buck; Constantine; DeBolt; Gardner; Hatfield; Johnson; McCune; Murray; O'Brien; Ogden; Radcliff; Robertson; Romero; Scott; Skinner; Sterk; Wood and Zellinsky.

Staff:  Reema Shawa (786-7301).

Background:  Of the 9,868 aircraft based in Washington, 4,807 aircraft were registered in 1997.  An additional 2,000 aircraft requiring registration were confirmed to be operating without a registration.  There are only two registration enforcement options currently available:  (1) request the Washington State Patrol to investigate a potential evasion of registration; or (2) send staff of the Aviation Division (AD) of the Department of Transportation (DOT) out to public-use airports to record aircraft identification numbers for purposes of running registration checks at a later time.  Due to various limiting factors of both options, neither has been able to significantly reduce the number of unregistered aircraft in the state.  Adding to the problem is the fact that an aircraft can lease or purchase tiedown or hangar space at a local, public-use airport without having to show proof of registration to airport authorities.

Summary of Bill:  Port districts and municipalities who operate an airport must require from an aircraft owner proof of aircraft registration or proof of the intent to register an aircraft as a condition of leasing or selling tiedown or hangar space for an aircraft.  If the owner is found to have an unregistered aircraft, the airport must present the owner with the appropriate state registration forms and direct them to comply with the law.  After doing so, the airport may lease or sell the space to the owner of the unregistered aircraft, as it then becomes the aircraft owner's responsibility to register the aircraft.  At the end of each month, the airport must report the identification numbers of unregistered aircraft and the names and addresses of the owners to the AD for further investigation.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Available.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  Local airports should have the authority to require proof of aircraft registration as a condition of selling or leasing tiedown or hangar space.  The airports feel they could make a significant impact on current registration enforcement levels.  Aircraft registration will be increased and thus, will bring in more revenue for the aeronautics account and the general fund.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Newell Lee, AD; Jack McGoldrick, Washington Pilots Association; and Tom Jensen, Washington Air Search and Rescue.