SENATE BILL REPORT

                  SSB 5274

                As Passed Senate, March 5, 1999

Title:  An act relating to fare payment and enforcement by regional transit authorities.

Brief Description:  Allowing a regional transit authority to establish fines for certain civil infractions.

Sponsors:  Senate Committee on Transportation (originally sponsored by Senators Goings, Horn, Haugen, Costa, Winsley, Heavey, McCaslin, Long and Prentice).

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  Transportation:  1/27/99, 2/2/99 [DPS].

Passed Senate, 3/5/99, 40-6.

SENATE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION

Majority Report:  That Substitute Senate Bill No. 5274 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.

  Signed by Senators Haugen, Chair; Gardner, Vice Chair; Goings, Vice Chair; Benton, Costa, Eide, Horn, Jacobsen, Johnson, Oke, Patterson, Prentice, Sellar, Sheahan, T. Sheldon, Shin and Swecker.

Staff:  Kelly Simpson (786-7305)

Background:  Regional transit authorities in Washington currently lack express statutory authority to enforce proof of fare payment of those individuals using transit services.  Washington law does allow state and local governments to establish and enforce a system of civil infractions to be composed of minor offenses, noncriminal in nature, subject to the imposition of civil fines.

Summary of Bill:  Regional transit authorities are authorized to:  (1) require proof of fare payment; (2) set a schedule of fines and penalties, not to exceed $250, for failure to pay required fares and failure to depart a train when requested to do so; and (3) employ individuals to monitor fare payment, issue citations for fare nonpayment, and request passengers to leave regional transit authority trains for failure to produce proof of fare payment.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

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

Testimony For:  Sound Transit intends to implement a Abarrier free@ method of passenger fare payment in order to allow for expedited passenger boarding on Sound Transit trains.  SSB 5274 would provide Sound Transit the authority to implement and enforce this system.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  PRO:  Dave Earling, Sound Transit Board.