S-1375

AN ACT Relating to special license plates; amending RCW 46.16.313; reenacting and amending RCW 46.16.305; adding a new section to chapter 46.04 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 46.16 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 28A.300 RCW; and creating a new section.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature recognizes that good language skills are essential for productive adults and that public schools in the state of Washington provide trained speech pathologists to assist children who lack adequate verbal communication skills to compete successfully in the challenges of securing an education. It recognizes that the task of teaching students to speak well is a formidable one and sees shrinking public funding as an obstacle in providing sufficient professional staff to realize that goal. It further recognizes that professionally trained and nationally certified speech pathologists are provided at no cost by nonprofit charitable organizations to preschool and school-age children. To aid the public schools in teaching essential speech skills, a "Help Kids Speak" license plate is established.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 46.04 RCW to read as follows:

"Help Kids Speak license plates" means license plates that display a symbol of a nonprofit, charitable organization that provides no-fee nationally certified speech pathologists to teach youngsters to speak.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. A new section is added to chapter 46.16 RCW to read as follows:

In cooperation with the Washington state patrol and the department of licensing, the sponsors of the "Help Kids Speak" program shall create and design, and the department shall issue, a special license plate displaying a symbol of a nonprofit charitable organization and the words "Help Kids Speak" that may be used in lieu of regular or personalized license plates for motor vehicles required to display two motor vehicle license plates, excluding vehicles registered under chapter 46.87 RCW, upon terms and conditions established by the department. The special plates will commemorate the "Help Kids Speak" organization.

Sec. 4. RCW 46.16.313 and 1997 c 291 s 8 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The department may establish a fee for each type of special license plates issued under RCW 46.16.301(1) (a), (b), or (c), as existing before amendment by section 5, chapter 291, Laws of 1997, in an amount calculated to offset the cost of production of the special license plates and the administration of this program. ((~~Until December 31, 1997,~~)) The fee shall not exceed ((~~thirty-five dollars, but effective with vehicle registrations due or to become due on January 1, 1998, the department may adjust the fee to no more than~~)) forty dollars. This fee is in addition to all other fees required to register and license the vehicle for which the plates have been requested. All such additional special license plate fees collected by the department shall be deposited in the state treasury and credited to the motor vehicle fund.

(2) ((Until December 31, 1997, in addition to all fees and taxes required to be paid upon application, registration, and renewal registration of a motor vehicle, the holder of a collegiate license plate shall pay a fee of thirty dollars. The department shall deduct an amount not to exceed two dollars of each fee collected under this subsection for administration and collection expenses incurred by it. The remaining proceeds, minus the cost of plate production, shall be remitted to the custody of the state treasurer with a proper identifying detailed report. The state treasurer shall credit the funds to the appropriate collegiate license plate fund as provided in RCW 28B.10.890.

~~(3) Effective with vehicle registrations due or to become due on January 1, 1998,~~)) In addition to all fees and taxes required to be paid upon application and registration of a motor vehicle, the holder of a collegiate license plate shall pay an initial fee of forty dollars. The department shall deduct an amount not to exceed twelve dollars of each fee collected under this subsection for administration and collection expenses incurred by it. The remaining proceeds shall be remitted to the custody of the state treasurer with a proper identifying detailed report. The state treasurer shall credit the funds to the appropriate collegiate license plate fund as provided in RCW 28B.10.890.

((~~(4)~~)) (3) Effective with annual renewals due or to become due on January 1, 1999, in addition to all fees and taxes required to be paid upon renewal of a motor vehicle registration, the holder of a collegiate license plate shall pay a fee of thirty dollars. The department shall deduct an amount not to exceed two dollars of each fee collected under this subsection for administration and collection expenses incurred by it. The remaining proceeds shall be remitted to the custody of the state treasurer with a proper identifying detailed report. The state treasurer shall credit the funds to the appropriate collegiate license plate fund as provided in RCW 28B.10.890.

((~~(5)~~)) (4) In addition to all fees and taxes required to be paid upon application and registration of a motor vehicle, the holder of a special baseball stadium license plate shall pay an initial fee of forty dollars. The department shall deduct an amount not to exceed twelve dollars of each fee collected under this subsection for administration and collection expenses incurred by it. The remaining proceeds, minus the cost of plate production, shall be distributed to a county for the purpose of paying the principal and interest payments on bonds issued by the county to construct a baseball stadium, as defined in RCW 82.14.0485, including reasonably necessary preconstruction costs, while the taxes are being collected under RCW 82.14.360. After this date, the state treasurer shall credit the funds to the state general fund.

((~~(6)~~)) (5) Effective with annual renewals due or to become due on January 1, 1999, in addition to all fees and taxes required to be paid upon renewal of a motor vehicle registration, the holder of a special baseball stadium license plate shall pay a fee of thirty dollars. The department shall deduct an amount not to exceed two dollars of each fee collected under this subsection for administration and collection expenses incurred by it. The remaining proceeds shall be distributed to a county for the purpose of paying the principal and interest payments on bonds issued by the county to construct a baseball stadium, as defined in RCW 82.14.0485, including reasonably necessary preconstruction costs, while the taxes are being collected under RCW 82.14.360. After this date, the state treasurer shall credit the funds to the state general fund.

(6) Effective with vehicle registrations due or to become due on January 1, 2002, in addition to all fees and taxes required to be paid upon application and registration of a motor vehicle, the holder of a "Help Kids Speak" license plate shall pay an initial fee of forty dollars. The department shall deduct an amount not to exceed twelve dollars of each fee collected under this subsection for administration and collection expenses incurred by it. The remaining proceeds shall be remitted to the custody of the state treasurer with a proper identifying detailed report. The state treasurer shall credit the proceeds to the "Help Kids Speak" license plate account established under section 5 of this act.

(7) Effective with annual renewals due or to become due on January 1, 2003, in addition to all fees and taxes required to be paid upon renewal of a motor vehicle registration, the holder of a "Help Kids Speak" license plate shall, upon application, pay a fee of thirty dollars. The department shall deduct an amount not to exceed two dollars of each fee collected under this subsection for administration and collection expenses incurred by it. The remaining proceeds shall be remitted to the custody of the state treasurer with a proper identifying detailed report. The state treasurer shall credit the funds to the "Help Kids Speak" license plate account established under section 5 of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. A new section is added to chapter 28A.300 RCW to read as follows:

(1) The "Help Kids Speak" program is created. The purpose of the program is to provide grants to nonprofit, charitable organizations, incorporated under the laws of the state of Washington that do not discriminate in any way, and that provide nationally certified speech pathologists on a no-fee basis to youngsters, regardless of their economic status, whether enrolled in a public, private, or home school, of preschool or school age, and who have displayed a lack of verbal communication skills; including in the grant application a finding that there is, on staff of the nonprofit, charitable organization, nationally certified speech pathologists trained in the techniques of teaching youngsters essential communication skills. The superintendent of public instruction shall administer the grant program.

(2) The "Help Kids Speak" license plate account is established in the custody of the state treasurer. All receipts, except as provided in RCW 46.16.313 (6) and (7), from "Help Kids Speak" license plates must be deposited into the account. Expenditures from the account may be used only to fund the grant program under subsection (1) of this section. Only the superintendent of public instruction or the superintendent's designee may authorize expenditures from the account. The account is not subject to allotment procedures under chapter 43.88 RCW, and no appropriation is required for expenditures.

Sec. 6. RCW 46.16.305 and 1997 c 291 s 6 and 1997 c 241 s 10 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:

The department shall continue to issue the categories of special plates issued by the department under the sections repealed under section 12 (1) through (7), chapter 250, Laws of 1990. Special license plates issued under those repealed sections before January 1, 1991, are valid to the extent and under the conditions provided in those repealed sections. The following conditions, limitations, or requirements apply to certain special license plates issued after January 1, 1991:

(1) A horseless carriage plate and a plate or plates issued for collectors' vehicles more than thirty years old, upon payment of the initial fees required by law and the additional special license plate fee established by the department, are valid for the life of the vehicle for which application is approved by the department. When a single plate is issued, it shall be displayed on the rear of the vehicle.

(2) The department may issue special license plates denoting amateur radio operator status only to persons having a valid official radio operator license issued by the federal communications commission.

(3) The department shall issue one set of special license plates to each resident of this state who has been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for use on a passenger vehicle registered to that person. The department shall issue the plate without the payment of licensing fees and motor vehicle excise tax.

(4) The department may issue for use on only one motor vehicle owned by the qualified applicant special license plates denoting that the recipient of the plate is a survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, to persons meeting all of the following criteria:

(a) Is a resident of this state;

(b) Was a member of the United States Armed Forces on December 7, 1941;

(c) Was on station on December 7, 1941, during the hours of 7:55 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. Hawaii time at Pearl Harbor, the island of Oahu, or offshore at a distance not to exceed three miles;

(d) Received an honorable discharge from the United States Armed Forces; and

(e) Is certified by a Washington state chapter of the Pearl Harbor survivors association as satisfying the qualifications in (c) of this subsection.

The department may issue such plates to the surviving spouse of any deceased Pearl Harbor survivor who met the requirements of this subsection. If the surviving spouse remarries, he or she shall return the special plates to the department within fifteen days and apply for regular plates. The surviving spouse must be a resident of this state.

The department shall issue these plates upon payment by the applicant of all other license fees, but the department may not set or charge an additional fee for these special license plates.

(5)(a) The department shall issue one set of special license plates to each resident of this state who has been awarded the law enforcement medal of honor under chapter 41.72 RCW for use on a passenger vehicle registered to that person.

(b) The department may issue these plates to the surviving spouse of any person awarded the law enforcement medal of honor posthumously. If the surviving spouse remarries, he or she shall return the special plates to the department within fifteen days and apply for regular plates. The surviving spouse must be a resident of this state.

(6) The department shall replace, free of charge, special license plates issued under subsections (3) and (4) of this section if they are lost, stolen, damaged, defaced, or destroyed. Such plates shall remain with the persons upon transfer or other disposition of the vehicle for which they were initially issued, and may be used on another vehicle registered to the recipient in accordance with the provisions of RCW 46.16.316(1).