S-3644.1  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 6297

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      55th Legislature     1998 Regular Session

By Senators Benton, Bauer and Snyder

Read first time 01/15/98.  Referred to Committee on Ways & Means.

Revising the formula for local public health financing in a county where a city annexed territory with fifty thousand residents or more in 1996 or 1997.

    AN ACT Relating to local public health financing; amending RCW 70.05.125; and providing an effective date.

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

    Sec. 1.  RCW 70.05.125 and 1997 c 333 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

    (1) The county public health account is created in the state treasury.  Funds deposited in the county public health account shall be distributed by the state treasurer to each local public health jurisdiction based upon amounts certified to it by the department of community, trade, and economic development in consultation with the Washington state association of counties.  The account shall include funds distributed under RCW 82.44.110 and 82.14.200(8) and such funds as are appropriated to the account from the health services account under RCW 43.72.900, the public health services account under RCW 43.72.902, and such other funds as the legislature may appropriate to it.

    (2)(a) The director of the department of community, trade, and economic development shall certify the amounts to be distributed to each local public health jurisdiction using 1995 as the base year of actual city contributions to local public health.

    (b) Only if funds are available and in an amount no greater than available funds under RCW 82.14.200(8), the department of community, trade, and economic development shall adjust the amount certified under (a) of this subsection to compensate for any annexation of an area with fifty thousand residents or more to any city as a result of an election during calendar year 1996 or 1997, or for any city that became newly incorporated as a result of an election during calendar year 1994 or 1995.  The amount to be adjusted shall be equal to the amount which otherwise would have been lost to the health jurisdiction due to the annexation or incorporation as calculated using the jurisdiction's 1995 funding formula.

    (c) The county treasurer shall certify the actual 1995 city contribution to the department.  Funds in excess of the base shall be distributed proportionately among the health jurisdictions based on incorporated population figures as last determined by the office of financial management.

    (3) Moneys distributed under this section shall be expended exclusively for local public health purposes.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  This act takes effect July 1, 1998.

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