BP BHEAD INT S [atlas:bill]

AN ACT Relating to vehicle licensing agents; and amending RCW 46.01.140.

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

Sec. 1. RCW 46.01.140 and 1996 c 315 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The county auditor, if appointed by the director of licensing shall carry out the provisions of this title relating to the licensing of vehicles and the issuance of vehicle license number plates under the direction and supervision of the director and may with the approval of the director appoint assistants as special deputies and recommend subagents to accept applications and collect fees for vehicle licenses and transfers and to deliver vehicle license number plates.

(2) A county auditor appointed by the director may request that the director appoint subagencies within the county. Upon authorization of the director, the auditor shall advertise a request for proposals and use the process for soliciting vendors under RCW 39.04.190(2), except that the provision requiring the contract to be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder shall not apply. The auditor shall submit all proposals to the director, and shall recommend the appointment of one or more subagents who have applied through the request for proposal process. The director has final appointment authority.

(3)(a) A county auditor who is appointed as an agent by the department shall enter into a standard contract provided by the director, developed with the advice of the title and registration advisory committee.

(b) A subagent appointed under subsection (2) of this section shall enter into a standard contract with the county auditor, developed with the advice of the title and registration advisory committee. The director shall provide the standard contract to county auditors.

(i) Describe the responsibilities, and where applicable, the liability, of each party relating to the service expectations and levels, equipment to be supplied by the department, and equipment maintenance;

(ii) Require the specific type of insurance or bonds so that the state is protected against any loss of collected motor vehicle tax revenues or loss of equipment;

(iii) Specify the amount of training that will be provided by the state, the county auditor, or subagents;

(iv) Describe allowable costs that may be charged to vehicle licensing activities as provided for in (d) of this subsection;

(v) Describe the causes and procedures for termination of the contract, which may include mediation and binding arbitration.

(d) The department shall develop procedures that will standardize and prescribe allowable costs that may be assigned to vehicle licensing and vessel registration and title activities performed by county auditors.

(e) The contracts may include any provision that the director deems necessary to ensure acceptable service and the full collection of vehicle and vessel tax revenues.

(f) The director may waive any provisions of the contract deemed necessary in order to ensure that readily accessible service is provided to the citizens of the state.

(4) The legislature recognizes that vehicle licensing agents and subagents appointed under this section provide a valuable service to the citizens of the state of Washington. The legislature intends to ensure that the same criteria be used to determine the siting and establishment of vehicle licensing agencies and subagencies as are used to determine the siting and establishment of vehicle licensing facilities offered by the department of licensing.

(5) In determining whether to establish and site vehicle licensing services for the public in a state-owned or state-leased facility, or through an agent or subagent operating in a state-owned or state-leased facility, the department of licensing shall use the same criteria applied to establishing and siting a vehicle licensing agency or subagency located outside a state-owned or state-leased facility.

(6) In determining whether to establish and site vehicle licensing services in a state-owned or state-leased facility to be operated by the department of licensing or to establish and site vehicle licensing services through an agent or subagent operating in a state-owned or state-leased facility, the department shall further determine whether appointed agents or subagents operating outside a state-owned or state-leased facility could better perform the vehicle licensing services using the criteria set forth in subsection (7) of this section. If the department determines that agents or subagents operating outside a state-owned or state-leased facility could better perform the vehicle licensing services, the department shall authorize an agent or subagent operating outside a state-owned or state-leased facility to perform the vehicle licensing services.

(7) The department of licensing shall adopt the same criteria in subsections (5) and (6) of this section, thus proclaiming rules for establishing and siting an agency or subagency in a state-owned or state-leased facility to offer vehicle licensing services to the public; for establishing and siting an agency or subagency outside a state-owned or state-leased facility to offer vehicle licensing services to the public; or for offering vehicle licensing services to the public to be performed exclusively by the department of licensing in a state-owned or state-leased facility.

(8)(a) At any time any application is made to the director, the county auditor, or other agent pursuant to any law dealing with licenses, registration, or the right to operate any vehicle or vessel upon the public highways or waters of this state, excluding applicants already paying such fee under RCW 46.16.070 or 46.16.085, the applicant shall pay to the director, county auditor, or other agent a fee of three dollars for each application in addition to any other fees required by law.

(b) Counties that do not cover the expenses of vehicle licensing and vessel registration and title activities may submit to the department a request for cost-coverage moneys. The request must be submitted on a form developed by the department. The department shall develop procedures to verify whether a request is reasonable. Payment shall be made on requests found to be allowable from the licensing services account.

(c) Applicants for certificates of ownership, including applicants paying fees under RCW 46.16.070 or 46.16.085, shall pay to the director, county auditor, or other agent a fee of four dollars in addition to any other fees required by law.

(d) The fees under (a) and (c) of this subsection, if paid to the county auditor as agent of the director, or if paid to a subagent of the county auditor, shall be paid to the county treasurer in the same manner as other fees collected by the county auditor and credited to the county current expense fund. If the fee is paid to another agent of the director, the fee shall be used by the agent to defray his or her expenses in handling the application.

((~~(5)~~)) (9) A subagent shall collect a service fee of (a) seven dollars and fifty cents for changes in a certificate of ownership, with or without registration renewal, or verification of record and preparation of an affidavit of lost title other than at the time of the title application or transfer and (b) three dollars for registration renewal only, issuing a transit permit, or any other service under this section.

((~~(6)~~)) (10) If the fee is collected by the state patrol as agent for the director, the fee so collected shall be certified to the state treasurer and deposited to the credit of the state patrol highway account. If the fee is collected by the department of transportation as agent for the director, the fee shall be certified to the state treasurer and deposited to the credit of the motor vehicle fund. All such fees collected by the director or branches of his office shall be certified to the state treasurer and deposited to the credit of the highway safety fund.

((~~(7)~~)) (11) Any county revenues that exceed the cost of providing vehicle licensing and vessel registration and title activities in a county, calculated in accordance with the procedures in subsection (3)(d) of this section, shall be expended as determined by the county legislative authority during the process established by law for adoption of county budgets.

((~~(8)~~)) (12) The director may adopt rules to implement this section.