VETO MESSAGE ON HB 2885-S

                   March 30, 1998

To the Honorable Speaker and Members,

  The House of Representatives of the State of Washington

Ladies and Gentlemen:

     I am returning herewith, without my approval as to section 2, Substitute House Bill No. 2885 entitled:

"AN ACT Relating to drunk driving;"

     SHB 2885 allows fifteen to thirty-day periods of home confinement in lieu of one to two days in jail for first-time DUI offenders.  This legislation will be effective in reducing the jail costs of local governments.

     Section 2 of SHB 2885 would require that the Office of Financial Management verify claims from local governments for increased levels of services mandated by the act.  This section would add an unnecessary additional bureaucratic layer to the existing statutory and procedural process for handling these claims.  I will direct the Office of Financial Management and the Department of General Administration to work collaboratively with the appropriate legislative committees to ensure that timely and accurate information is provided to the Legislature.

     For this reason, I have vetoed section 2 of Substitute House Bill No. 2885.

     With the exception of section 2, Substitute House Bill No. 2885 is approved.

                   Respectfully submitted,

                   Gary Locke

                   Governor