CERTIFICATION
OF ENROLLMENT
SENATE
BILL 5999
Chapter
104, Laws of 2002
57th
Legislature
2002
Regular Session
TELEPHONE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
EFFECTIVE
DATE: 6/13/02
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Passed by the Senate February 14, 2002
YEAS 49 NAYS 0
 BRAD OWEN
President of the Senate
Passed by the House March 7, 2002
YEAS 93 NAYS 0
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CERTIFICATE
I, Tony M. Cook, Secretary of the Senate of the State of Washington,
do hereby certify that the attached is SENATE BILL 5999 as passed by
the Senate and the House of Representatives on the dates hereon set forth.
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FRANK CHOPP
Speaker of the
House of Representatives
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 TONY M. COOK
Secretary
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Approved March 22, 2002 Place Style On
Codes above, and Style Off Codes below.
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FILED
March 22, 2002 - 1:01 p.m.
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GARY LOCKE
Governor of the State of Washington
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Secretary of State
State of Washington
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_______________________________________________
SENATE
BILL 5999
_______________________________________________
Passed
Legislature - 2002 Regular Session
State
of Washington 57th Legislature 2001 Regular Session
By
Read
first time 02/13/2001. Referred to Committee on Economic Development &
Telecommunications.
Modifying the telephone assistance program.
AN
ACT Relating to the Washington telephone assistance program; amending RCW
80.36.005, 80.36.410, and 80.36.470; and providing an expiration date.
BE IT
ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec.
1. RCW
80.36.005 and 1993 c 249 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
((As
used in this chapter)) The definitions in this section apply throughout
RCW 80.36.410 through 80.36.475, unless the context ((indicates)) clearly
requires otherwise((,)).
(1)
"Community agency" means local community agencies that administer
community service voice mail programs.
(2)
"Community service voice mail" means a computerized voice mail system
that provides low-income recipients with: (a) An individually assigned
telephone number; (b) the ability to record a personal greeting; and (c) a
private security code to retrieve messages.
(3)
"Department" means the department of social and health
services.
(4)
"Service year" means the period between July 1st and June 30th.
Sec.
2. RCW
80.36.410 and 1987 c 229 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:
The
legislature finds that universal telephone service is an important policy goal
of the state. The legislature further finds that: (1) Recent changes
in the telecommunications industry, such as federal access charges, raise
concerns about the ability of low-income persons to continue to afford access
to local exchange telephone service; and (2) many low-income persons making
the transition to independence from receiving supportive services through
community agencies do not qualify for economic assistance from the department.
Therefore, the legislature finds that it is in the public interest to take
steps to mitigate the effects of these changes on low-income persons.
Sec.
3. RCW
80.36.470 and 1990 c 170 s 6 are each amended to read as follows:
(1)
Adult recipients of department-administered programs for the financially needy
which provide continuing financial or medical assistance, food stamps, or
supportive services to persons in their own homes are eligible for participation
in the telephone assistance program. The department shall notify the
participants of their eligibility.
(2)
Participants in community service voice mail programs are eligible for
participation in the telephone assistance program after completing use of
community service voice mail services. Eligibility shall be for a period
including the remainder of the current service year and the following service
year. Community agencies shall notify the department of participants eligible
under this subsection.
NEW
SECTION. Sec. 4.
Sections 2 and 3 of this act expire June 30, 2003.
Passed the Senate February 14, 2002.
Passed the House March 7, 2002.
Approved by the Governor
March 22, 2002.
Filed
in Office of Secretary of State March 22, 2002.