S‑1527.2   _____________________________________________

 

SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5335

 

           _____________________________________________

 

State of Washington      57th Legislature     2001 Regular Session

 

By Senate Committee on Economic Development & Telecommunications (originally sponsored by Senators Snyder, Deccio, T. Sheldon, Morton, B. Sheldon, Hochstatter, Parlette, Sheahan, Hewitt, Haugen, Oke, McCaslin and Honeyford)

 

READ FIRST TIME 02/15/01. 

_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 

                               p. 1                      SSB 5335

 

_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,)) support the statewide coordination and

16  management of the enhanced 911 system and to help supplement,

17  within available funds, the operational costs of the system.  Funds

18  shall not be distributed to any county that has not imposed the

19  maximum county enhanced 911 taxes allowed under RCW 82.14B.030 (1)

20  and (2).  The state enhanced 911 coordinator, with the advice and

21  assistance of the enhanced 911 advisory committee, is authorized

22  to enter into statewide agreements to improve the efficiency of

23  enhanced 911 services for all counties and shall specify by rule

24  the additional purposes for which moneys, if available, may be

25  expended from this account.

     

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

27  RCW to read as follows:

28      In specifying rules defining the purposes for which available

29  moneys may be expended, the state enhanced 911 coordinator, with

30  the advice and assistance of the enhanced 911 advisory committee,

31  shall consider base needs of individual counties for specific

32  assistance.  Priorities for available enhanced 911 funding are as

33  follows:  (1) To assure that 911 dialing is operational statewide;

34  (2) to assist counties as necessary to assure that they can

35  achieve a basic service level for 911 operations; and (3) to

36  assist counties as practicable to acquire items of a capital

37  nature appropriate to increasing 911 effectiveness.

 

SSB 5335                       p. 2

     

_1      NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4.  This act is necessary for the immediate

_2  preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of

_3  the state government and its existing public institutions, and

_4  takes effect July 1, 2001.

 

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                               p. 3                      SSB 5335