H‑0493.1   _____________________________________________

HOUSE BILL 1181

           _____________________________________________

State of Washington      57th Legislature     2001 Regular Session

By Representatives O'Brien, Crouse, Cooper, Delvin, Poulsen, Simpson, Lovick, Reardon, Clements, Haigh, Wood and Santos

Read first time 01/19/2001.  Referred to Committee on Technology, Telecommunications & Energy.

_1      AN ACT Relating to the authority of the statewide enhanced 911

_2  program to support the statewide enhanced 911 system; amending RCW

_3  38.52.540; adding a new section to chapter 38.52 RCW; creating a

_4  new section; providing an effective date; and declaring an

_5  emergency.

_6  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

_7      NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  The legislature finds that the statewide

_8  emergency communications network of enhanced 911 telephone

_9  service, which allows an immediate display of a caller's

10  identification and location, has served to further the safety,

11  health, and welfare of the state's citizens, and has saved lives.

12      The legislature further finds that statewide operation and

13  management of the enhanced 911 system will create efficiencies of

14  operation and permit greater local control of county 911

15  operations, and further that some counties will continue to need

16  assistance from the state to maintain minimum enhanced 911 service

17  levels.

18 

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_1      Sec. 2.  RCW 38.52.540 and 1998 c 304 s 14 are each amended to read

_2  as follows:

_3      The enhanced 911 account is created in the state treasury.  All

_4  receipts from the state enhanced 911 excise tax imposed by RCW

_5  82.14B.030 shall be deposited into the account.  Moneys in the

_6  account shall be used only to help ((implement and)) operate

_7  enhanced 911 statewide.  ((Moneys in the account may be used to

_8  provide salary assistance on a temporary basis not to exceed three

_9  years to counties with a population of less than seventy-five

10  thousand that need additional resources to cover unfunded costs

11  that can be shown to result from handling 911 calls.  Moneys in the

12  account may be used to assist multicounty regions, including

13  ongoing salary assistance for multicounty regions consisting of

14  counties with populations of less than seventy-five

15  thousand.  However,)) Funds shall not be distributed to any county

16  that has not imposed the maximum county enhanced 911 taxes allowed

17  under RCW 82.14B.030 (1) and (2).  The state enhanced 911

18  coordinator, with the advice and assistance of the enhanced 911

19  advisory committee, shall specify by rule the purposes for which

20  moneys may be expended from this account.

21      NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.  A new section is added to chapter 38.52

22  RCW to read as follows:

23      In specifying rules defining the purposes for which moneys may

24  be expended, the state enhanced 911 coordinator, with the advice

25  and assistance of the enhanced 911 advisory committee, is

26  authorized to enter into statewide agreements to improve the

27  efficiency of 911 services for all counties and shall consider

28  base needs of individual counties for specific

29  assistance.  Priorities for enhanced 911 funding are:  First, to

30  assure that 911 dialing is operational statewide; second, to

31  assist as necessary to assure that counties can achieve a basic

32  service level for 911 operations; and third, to assist counties as

33  practicable to acquire items of a capital nature appropriate to

34  increasing 911 effectiveness.

35      NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.  This act is necessary for the immediate

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_1  preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of

_2  the state government and its existing public institutions, and

_3  takes effect July 1, 2001.

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