[atlas:bill]

AN ACT Relating to funds for operating and maintenance of low‑income housing projects and for innovative housing demonstration projects; amending RCW 36.18.010 and 18.85.540; adding a new section to chapter 36.22 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 43.330 RCW; and creating a new section.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature recognizes housing affordability has become a significant problem for a large portion of society in many parts of Washington state in recent years. The state has traditionally focused its resources on housing for low-income populations. Additional funding resources are needed for building operation and maintenance activities for housing projects affordable to extremely low-income people, for example farmworkers or people with developmental disabilities. Affordable rents for extremely low-income people are not sufficient to cover the cost of building operations and maintenance. In addition resources are needed at the local level to assist in development and preservation of affordable low-income housing to address critical local housing needs.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 36.22 RCW to read as follows:

(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, a surcharge of ten dollars per instrument shall be charged by the county auditor for each document recorded, which will be in addition to any other charge authorized by law. The auditor may retain up to five percent of these funds collected to administer the collection of these funds. Of the remaining funds, forty percent of the revenue generated through this surcharge will be transmitted monthly to the state treasurer who will deposit the funds into the Washington housing trust account. The office of community development of the department of community, trade, and economic development will develop guidelines for the use of these funds to support building operation and maintenance costs of housing projects or units within housing projects that are affordable to extremely low-income persons with incomes at or below thirty percent of the area median income, and that require a supplement to rent income to cover ongoing operating expenses. Sixty percent of the revenue generated by this surcharge will be retained by the county and be deposited into a fund that must be used by the county and its cities and towns for housing projects or units within housing projects that are affordable to very low-income persons with incomes at or below fifty percent of the area median income. The portion of the surcharge retained by a county shall be allocated to very low-income housing projects or units within such housing projects in the county and the cities within a county according to an interlocal agreement between the county and the cities within the county, consistent with countywide and local housing needs and policies. The funds generated with this surcharge shall not be used for construction of new housing if at any time the vacancy rate for available low-income housing within the county rises above ten percent. The vacancy rate for each county shall be developed using the state low-income vacancy rate standard developed under subsection (3) of this section. Permissible uses of these local funds are limited to:

(a) Acquisition, construction, or rehabilitation of housing projects or units within housing projects that are affordable to very low-income persons with incomes at or below fifty percent of the area median income;

(b) Supporting building operation and maintenance costs of housing projects or units within housing projects built with housing trust funds, that are affordable to very low-income persons with incomes at or below fifty percent of the area median income, and that require a supplement to rent income to cover ongoing operating expenses; and

(c) Rental assistance vouchers for housing projects or units within housing projects that are affordable to very low-income persons with incomes at or below fifty percent of the area median income, to be administered by a local public housing authority or other local organization that has an existing rental assistance voucher program, consistent with the United States department of housing and urban development's section 8 rental assistance voucher program standards.

(2) The surcharge imposed in this section does not apply to assignments or substitutions of previously recorded deeds of trust.

(3) The real estate research center at Washington State University shall develop a vacancy rate standard for low-income housing in the state as described in RCW 18.85.540(1)(i).

Sec. 3. RCW 36.18.010 and 1999 c 233 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:

County auditors or recording officers shall collect the following fees for their official services:

For recording instruments, for the first page eight and one-half by fourteen inches or less, five dollars; for each additional page eight and one-half by fourteen inches or less, one dollar. The fee for recording multiple transactions contained in one instrument will be calculated for each transaction requiring separate indexing as required under RCW 65.04.050 as follows: The fee for each title or transaction is the same fee as the first page of any additional recorded document; the fee for additional pages is the same fee as for any additional pages for any recorded document; the fee for the additional pages may be collected only once and may not be collected for each title or transaction;

For preparing and certifying copies, for the first page eight and one-half by fourteen inches or less, three dollars; for each additional page eight and one-half by fourteen inches or less, one dollar;

For preparing noncertified copies, for each page eight and one-half by fourteen inches or less, one dollar;

For administering an oath or taking an affidavit, with or without seal, two dollars;

For issuing a marriage license, eight dollars, (this fee includes taking necessary affidavits, filing returns, indexing, and transmittal of a record of the marriage to the state registrar of vital statistics) plus an additional five-dollar fee for use and support of the prevention of child abuse and neglect activities to be transmitted monthly to the state treasurer and deposited in the state general fund plus an additional ten-dollar fee to be transmitted monthly to the state treasurer and deposited in the state general fund. The legislature intends to appropriate an amount at least equal to the revenue generated by this fee for the purposes of the displaced homemaker act, chapter 28B.04 RCW;

For searching records per hour, eight dollars;

For recording plats, fifty cents for each lot except cemetery plats for which the charge shall be twenty-five cents per lot; also one dollar for each acknowledgment, dedication, and description: PROVIDED, That there shall be a minimum fee of twenty-five dollars per plat;

For recording of miscellaneous records not listed above, for the first page eight and one-half by fourteen inches or less, five dollars; for each additional page eight and one-half by fourteen inches or less, one dollar;

For modernization and improvement of the recording and indexing system, a surcharge as provided in RCW 36.22.170.

For recording an emergency nonstandard document as provided in RCW 65.04.047, fifty dollars, in addition to all other applicable recording fees.

For recording instruments, a surcharge as provided in section 2 of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. A new section is added to chapter 43.330 RCW to read as follows:

The office of community development of the department of community, trade, and economic development is directed to conduct a statewide housing market analysis by region. The purpose of the analysis is to identify areas of greatest need for the appropriate investment of state affordable housing funds, using vacancy data and other appropriate measures of need for low-income housing. The analysis shall include the number and types of projects that counties have developed using the funds collected under this act. The analysis shall be completed by September 2003, and updated every two years thereafter.

Sec. 5. RCW 18.85.540 and 1999 c 192 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The purpose of a real estate research center in Washington state is to provide credible research, value-added information, education services, and project-oriented research to real estate licensees, real estate consumers, real estate service providers, institutional customers, public agencies, and communities in Washington state and the Pacific Northwest region. The center may:

(a) Conduct studies and research on affordable housing and strategies to meet the affordable housing needs of the state;

(b) Conduct studies in all areas directly or indirectly related to real estate and urban or rural economics and economically isolated communities;

(c) Disseminate findings and results of real estate research conducted at or by the center or elsewhere, using a variety of dissemination media;

(d) Supply research results and educational expertise to the Washington state real estate commission to support its regulatory functions, as requested;

(e) Prepare information of interest to real estate consumers and make the information available to the general public, universities, or colleges, and appropriate state agencies;

(f) Encourage economic growth and development within the state of Washington;

(g) Support the professional development and continuing education of real estate licensees in Washington; ((~~and~~))

(h) Study and recommend changes in state statutes relating to real estate; and

(i) Develop a vacancy rate standard for low-income housing in the state.

(2) The director shall establish a memorandum of understanding with an institution of higher learning that establishes a real estate research center for the purposes under subsection (1) of this section.

(3) This section expires September 30, 2005.