CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT

 

                  SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5274

 

 

                   Chapter 331, Laws of 2001

 

 

                        57th Legislature

                      2001 Regular Session

 

 

MOTOR VEHICLE LICENSING SUBAGENTS

 

 

 

                    EFFECTIVE DATE:  7/22/01

Passed by the Senate April 18, 2001

  YEAS 45   NAYS 3

 

 

               BRAD OWEN

President of the Senate

 

Passed by the House April 5, 2001

  YEAS 94   NAYS 1

             CERTIFICATE

 

I, Tony M. Cook, Secretary of the Senate of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is  SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5274 as passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives on the dates hereon set forth.

 

 

              FRANK CHOPP

Speaker of the

      House of Representatives

            TONY M. COOK

                            Secretary

 

 

 

             CLYDE BALLARD

Speaker of the

      House of Representatives

 

 

Approved May 15, 2001 Place Style On Codes above, and Style Off Codes below.  

                                FILED          

 

 

             May 15, 2001 - 3:21 p.m.

 

 

 

              GARY LOCKE

Governor of the State of Washington

                 Secretary of State

                 State of Washington


           _____________________________________________

 

                    SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5274

           _____________________________________________

 

                      AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE

 

             Passed Legislature - 2001 Regular Session

 

State of Washington      57th Legislature     2001 Regular Session

 

By Senate Committee on Transportation (originally sponsored by Senators Gardner, Haugen and McCaslin)

 

READ FIRST TIME 03/08/01. 

  Revising the appointment of vehicle licensing subagents.           


    AN ACT Relating to motor vehicle licensing subagents; and amending RCW 46.01.140.

 

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

 

    Sec. 1.  RCW 46.01.140 and 1996 c 315 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

    (1) The county auditor, if appointed by the director of licensing shall carry out the provisions of this title relating to the licensing of vehicles and the issuance of vehicle license number plates under the direction and supervision of the director and may with the approval of the director appoint assistants as special deputies and recommend subagents to accept applications and collect fees for vehicle licenses and transfers and to deliver vehicle license number plates.

    (2) A county auditor appointed by the director may request that the director appoint subagencies within the county.

    (a) Upon authorization of the director, the auditor shall ((advertise a request for proposals and use the process for soliciting vendors under RCW 39.04.190(2), except that the provision requiring the contract to be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder shall not apply)) use an open competitive process including, but not limited to, a written business proposal and oral interview to determine the qualifications of all interested applicants.

    (b) A subagent may recommend a successor who is either the subagent's sibling, spouse, or child, or a subagency employee, as long as the recommended successor participates in the open, competitive process used to select an applicant.  In making successor recommendation and appointment determinations, the following provisions apply:

    (i) If a subagency is held by a partnership or corporate entity, the nomination must be submitted on behalf of, and agreed to by, all partners or corporate officers.

    (ii) No subagent may receive any direct or indirect compensation or remuneration from any party or entity in recognition of a successor nomination.  A subagent may not receive any financial benefit from the transfer or termination of an appointment.

    (iii) (a) and (b) of this subsection are intended to assist in the efficient transfer of appointments in order to minimize public inconvenience.  They do not create a proprietary or property interest in the appointment.

    (c) The auditor shall submit all proposals to the director, and shall recommend the appointment of one or more subagents who have applied through the ((request for proposal)) open competitive process.  The auditor shall include in his or her recommendation to the director, not only the name of the successor who is a relative or employee, if applicable and if otherwise qualified, but also the name of one other applicant who is qualified and was chosen through the open competitive process.  The director has final appointment authority.

    (3)(a) A county auditor who is appointed as an agent by the department shall enter into a standard contract provided by the director, developed with the advice of the title and registration advisory committee.

    (b) A subagent appointed under subsection (2) of this section shall enter into a standard contract with the county auditor, developed with the advice of the title and registration advisory committee.  The director shall provide the standard contract to county auditors.

    (c) The contracts provided for in (a) and (b) of this subsection must contain at a minimum provisions that:

    (i) Describe the responsibilities, and where applicable, the liability, of each party relating to the service expectations and levels, equipment to be supplied by the department, and equipment maintenance;

    (ii) Require the specific type of insurance or bonds so that the state is protected against any loss of collected motor vehicle tax revenues or loss of equipment;

    (iii) Specify the amount of training that will be provided by the state, the county auditor, or subagents;

    (iv) Describe allowable costs that may be charged to vehicle licensing activities as provided for in (d) of this subsection;

    (v) Describe the causes and procedures for termination of the contract, which may include mediation and binding arbitration.

    (d) The department shall develop procedures that will standardize and prescribe allowable costs that may be assigned to vehicle licensing and vessel registration and title activities performed by county auditors.

    (e) The contracts may include any provision that the director deems necessary to ensure acceptable service and the full collection of vehicle and vessel tax revenues.

    (f) The director may waive any provisions of the contract deemed necessary in order to ensure that readily accessible service is provided to the citizens of the state.

    (4)(a) At any time any application is made to the director, the county auditor, or other agent pursuant to any law dealing with licenses, registration, or the right to operate any vehicle or vessel upon the public highways or waters of this state, excluding applicants already paying such fee under RCW 46.16.070 or 46.16.085, the applicant shall pay to the director, county auditor, or other agent a fee of three dollars for each application in addition to any other fees required by law.

    (b) Counties that do not cover the expenses of vehicle licensing and vessel registration and title activities may submit to the department a request for cost-coverage moneys.  The request must be submitted on a form developed by the department.  The department shall develop procedures to verify whether a request is reasonable.  Payment shall be made on requests found to be allowable from the licensing services account.

    (c) Applicants for certificates of ownership, including applicants paying fees under RCW 46.16.070 or 46.16.085, shall pay to the director, county auditor, or other agent a fee of four dollars in addition to any other fees required by law.

    (d) The fees under (a) and (c) of this subsection, if paid to the county auditor as agent of the director, or if paid to a subagent of the county auditor, shall be paid to the county treasurer in the same manner as other fees collected by the county auditor and credited to the county current expense fund.  If the fee is paid to another agent of the director, the fee shall be used by the agent to defray his or her expenses in handling the application.

    (e) Applicants required to pay the three-dollar fee established under (a) of this subsection, must pay an additional fifty cents, which must be collected and remitted to the state treasurer for deposit into the department of licensing services account of the motor vehicle fund.  Revenue deposited into this account must be used for agent and subagent support, which is to include but not be limited to the replacement of department-owned equipment in the possession of agents and subagents.

    (5) A subagent shall collect a service fee of (a) ((seven)) eight dollars and fifty cents for changes in a certificate of ownership, with or without registration renewal, or verification of record and preparation of an affidavit of lost title other than at the time of the title application or transfer and (b) three dollars and fifty cents for registration renewal only, issuing a transit permit, or any other service under this section.

    (6) If the fee is collected by the state patrol as agent for the director, the fee so collected shall be certified to the state treasurer and deposited to the credit of the state patrol highway account.  If the fee is collected by the department of transportation as agent for the director, the fee shall be certified to the state treasurer and deposited to the credit of the motor vehicle fund.  All such fees collected by the director or branches of his office shall be certified to the state treasurer and deposited to the credit of the highway safety fund.

    (7) Any county revenues that exceed the cost of providing vehicle licensing and vessel registration and title activities in a county, calculated in accordance with the procedures in subsection (3)(d) of this section, shall be expended as determined by the county legislative authority during the process established by law for adoption of county budgets.

    (8) The director may adopt rules to implement this section.


    Passed the Senate April 18, 2001.

    Passed the House April 5, 2001.

Approved by the Governor May 15, 2001.

    Filed in Office of Secretary of State May 15, 2001.