S-3070.2  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 6416

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington   57th Legislature        2002 Regular Session

By Senators Poulsen, Hewitt, Morton, Fraser, McAuliffe, Hale and Rasmussen

Read first time 01/16/2002.  Referred to Committee on Environment, Energy & Water.

Allowing public utility districts to define the eligible group of low-income citizens to whom they may provide services at reduced rates.

    AN ACT Relating to allowing public utility districts to define the eligible group of low-income citizens to whom they may provide services at reduced rates; and amending RCW 74.38.070.

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

    Sec. 1.  RCW 74.38.070 and 1998 c 300 s 8 are each amended to read as follows:

    (((1))) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any county, city, town, public utility district or other municipal corporation, or quasi municipal corporation providing utility services may provide such services at reduced rates for low‑income senior citizens or other low-income citizens:  PROVIDED, That, for the purposes of this section, "low-income senior citizen" or "other low-income citizen" shall be defined by appropriate ordinance or resolution adopted by the governing body of the county, city, town, public utility district or other municipal corporation, or quasi municipal corporation providing the utility services ((except as provided in subsection (2) of this section)).  Any reduction in rates granted in whatever manner to low-income senior citizens or other low-income citizens in one part of a service area shall be uniformly extended to low-income senior citizens or other low-income citizens in all other parts of the service area.

    (((2) For purposes of implementing this section by any public utility district, (a) "low-income senior citizen" means a person who is sixty-two years of age or older and whose total income, including that of his or her spouse or cotenant, does not exceed the amount specified in RCW 84.36.381(5)(b), as now or hereafter amended and (b) "other low-income citizen" means a person whose household income does not exceed the amount specified in RCW 70.164.020(4).))

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