S-0503.1  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 5172

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      57th Legislature     2001 Regular Session

By Senators Prentice, Honeyford, Costa, Winsley, Hewitt and Kohl‑Welles

Read first time 01/12/2001.  Referred to Committee on Labor, Commerce & Financial Institutions.

Allowing landlords to receive direct payments of rent for people on public assistance.

    AN ACT Relating to rental payments to landlords from public assistance; and adding a new section to chapter 74.04 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 74.04 RCW to read as follows:

    (1) Persons receiving public assistance, particularly families, frequently have great difficulty obtaining adequate housing.  The department of social and health services is directed to conduct a program designed to increase the supply of housing for persons on public assistance by making rental payments directly to the landlords.

    (2) The department shall explore the use of public and private housing providers in the implementation of the program.

    (3) The department shall solicit not less than three and up to seven local governing bodies for participation in the program.  In implementing this program the department shall:

    (a) Stress that participation in the program by recipients on public assistance is voluntary;

    (b) Utilize the services of either local public or private housing providers, or both, to the maximum extent feasible; and

    (c) Give consideration to obtaining a geographic distribution and balance throughout the state when selecting participating local governing bodies.

    (4) Prior to the convening of the 2002 regular session of the legislature, the department shall report the results of the program, together with its recommendations, to the co-chairs of the house of representatives committee on economic development, housing and trade and the chair of the senate committee on labor and workforce development.

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