FINAL BILL REPORT

SB 6460

C 38 L 02

Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description:  Funding local government research services.

Sponsors:  Senators Haugen and Horn.

Senate Committee on State & Local Government

House Committee on Local Government & Housing

Background:  Each quarter the Office of the State Treasurer distributes money from the liquor revolving and excise tax funds to the counties, incorporated cities, and towns of Washington State.  Part of those distributions are transferred into special accounts created specifically for county research services and city and town research services.  Currently, the accounts must have a zero cash balance at the end of each quarter in order to receive the next quarter's full allotment.  Because of accounts receivable and the timing of other expenditures, the cash balance may not be zero at the end of each quarter; thus, the full quarterly allotment may not be transferred to the research services accounts.

Summary:  The treasurer must distribute the full quarterly allotment to the research services accounts, regardless of any cash balance.  All unobligated monies remaining in the accounts at the end of the fiscal biennium must be distributed by the treasurer to the counties, incorporated cities, and towns of the state in the same manner as the distribution from the liquor excise tax fund and the liquor revolving fund.

The months during which the treasurer must distribute liquor revolving funds into the city and town research services account are changed to June, September, December, and March (rather than July, October, January, and April).

Votes on Final Passage:

Senate420

House970

Effective:  June 13, 2002