FINAL BILL REPORT

SSB 5274

C 331 L 01

Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description:  Revising the appointment of vehicle licensing subagents.

Sponsors:  Senate Committee on Transportation (originally sponsored by Senators Gardner, Haugen and McCaslin).

Senate Committee on Transportation

House Committee on Transportation

Background:  Subagents and agents have a contract with the county auditor to conduct vehicle licensing functions for the auditor.  Recently, concerns have been raised by some subagents who have invested many years in their business and want a process to pass along their business to a family member or trusted employee.

Currently, subagents are appointed after being chosen through a request for proposals process.  The county auditor submits all subagent proposals received to the director of the Department of Licensing (DOL) and recommends the appointment of one or more subagents.  The director of DOL has the final appointment authority.

Summary:  The county auditor must use an open competitive process including but not limited to a written business proposal and an oral interview to determine the quality of all interested subagent or agent applicants.  A subagent may nominate a successor who is either the subagent=s sibling, spouse, child, or a subagency employee.  If the successor recommended by the subagent is otherwise qualified, the auditor must include in his or her recommendation to the director of DOL not only the person nominated by the subagent, but also one other applicant selected through the open competitive process.

The service fees collected by subagents are increased as follows:  (1) from $7.50 to $8.50 for certificate of ownership changes or verification of title; and (2) from $3.00 to $3.50 for registration renewal.

An additional $.50 is added to the current $3 filing fee assessed on all licensing transactions.  The revenue from the $.50 fee must be deposited into the licensing services account to be used to support agents and subagents including the replacement of department-owned equipment in the agent=s or subagent=s possession.

Votes on Final Passage:

Senate460

House     94 1 (House amended)

Senate    45 3 (Senate concurred)

Effective:  July 22, 2001