Z-0144.1  _______________________________________________

                          HOUSE BILL 1610

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      55th Legislature     1997 Regular Session

By Representatives DeBolt, Poulsen, Mastin, Hankins and Kessler; by request of Utilities & Transportation Commission

Read first time 02/03/97.  Referred to Committee on Energy & Utilities.

Exempting regulated utilities from seeking commission preapproval of some short-term notes having a maturity of twelve or fewer months.

    AN ACT Relating to exempting regulated utilities from seeking commission preapproval of some short-term notes having a maturity of twelve or fewer months; and adding a new section to chapter 80.08 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 80.08 RCW to read as follows:

    A public service company may issue notes, except demand notes, for proper purposes and not in violation of any provision of this chapter, or any other law, payable at periods of not more than twelve months after the date of issuance, without complying with the requirements of RCW 80.08.040, but no such note may be refunded, in whole or in part, by any issue of stock or stock certificates or other evidence of interest or ownership, or bonds, notes, or other evidence of indebtedness, without compliance with RCW 80.08.040.  However, compliance with RCW 80.08.040 is required for the issuance of any note or notes issued as part of a single borrowing transaction of one million dollars or more payable at periods of less than twelve months after the date of issuance by any public service company that is subject to the federal power act unless such note or notes aggregates together with all other then outstanding notes and drafts of a maturity of twelve months or less on which such public service company is primarily or secondarily liable not more than five percent of the par value of other securities of such company then outstanding, computed, in the case of securities having no par value, on the basis of the fair market value as of the date of issuance.

                            --- END ---