HOUSE BILL REPORT

EHB 2573

As Passed House:

March 13, 2002

Title:  An act relating to traffic safety education funding.

Brief Description:  Funding traffic safety education.

Sponsors:  By Representatives Schual‑Berke, Wood, Doumit, Hunt, Murray, Haigh, Kagi, Berkey, Sullivan, Fisher, Lovick, Jackley, Cooper, Simpson and McDermott.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:

Transportation:  2/6/02, 2/11/02 [DPA].

Floor Activity:

Passed House: 3/13/02, 58-38.

Brief Summary of Engrossed Bill

$Cost of a drivers instruction permit, with or without photograph, is the same.

$Fees are raised for driver's instruction permits and for new license examinations.

$An additional $15 fee is charged for each driver instruction permit and new license examination to fund traffic safety education in the public schools.

$The monies raised by the fee increases are deposited into the Public Safety and Education Account for use in traffic safety education in public schools and into the Highway Safety Fund.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION

Majority Report:  Do pass as amended. Signed by 19 members: Representatives Fisher, Chair; Cooper, Vice Chair; Lovick, Vice Chair; Mitchell, Ranking Minority Member; Anderson, Edwards, Haigh, Hankins, Hatfield, Jackley, Murray, Ogden, Rockefeller, Romero, Simpson, Skinner, Sullivan, Wood and Woods.

Minority Report:  Do not pass. Signed by 5 members: Representatives Armstrong, Holmquist, Jarrett, Mielke and Morell.

Staff:  Penny Nerup (786‑7335).

Background:

Qualified applicants for a driver's instruction permit pay a $5 fee, which includes a photograph on the permit.  Those applicants who want a permit without a photograph pay a $4 fee.

Those persons who have not been previously licensed in Washington, or whose last Washington license expired more than five years previously, pay an examination fee of $7.

Money collected from these fees is deposited into the Highway Safety Fund (HSF).

Summary of Bill:

The fee for a driver's instruction permit with or without a photograph is raised from $5 to $15, plus an additional $15 fee to fund traffic safety education in the public schools.

The examination fee for a person who has not been previously licensed in Washington, or whose last Washington license expired more than five years ago, is raised from $7 to $10, plus an additional $15 fee to fund traffic safety education in the public schools.

Fifteen dollars of each driver's instruction fee and $15 of each examination fee is deposited in the Public Safety Education Account for use in traffic safety education in public schools.  The remainder of monies collected is credited to the HSF.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Requested on February 8, 2002.  Revenue projection available. 

Effective Date:  The bill takes effect on July 1, 2002.

Testimony For:  Washington has the best traffic safety education program in the country.  This program, coupled with the intermediate license, should increase safety for our kids.  This would help rural schools maintain access to the program.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Representative Schual-Berke, prime sponsor; Sharon Foster, Washington Traffic Safety Education Association; Steve Lind, Traffic Safety Commission; Rainer Houser, Association of Washington School Principals; Carol Taylor Cann, Washington State Parent-Teacher Association; Cheryl McCann, Sylvia Butler, and Duane Warner, parents of high school students; Terry Hulin, John Robertson, and Scott Calahan, traffic safety instructors; Terry Bergeson, State Superintendent of Public Instruction; Chuck Filippini, Spokane Public Schools; and Karen Norton, Edmonds School District.