BILL REQ. #:  H-1474.3 

READ FIRST TIME 02/27/03.   

     AN ACT Relating to the treatment of pathological gambling; and amending RCW 67.70.340.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 67.70.340 and 2002 c 349 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The legislature recognizes that creating a shared game lottery could result in less revenue being raised by the existing state lottery ticket sales. The legislature further recognizes that the two funds most impacted by this potential event are the student achievement fund and the education construction account. Therefore, it is the intent of the legislature to use some of the proceeds from the shared game lottery to make up the difference that the potential state lottery revenue loss would have on the student achievement fund and the education construction account.
     (2) The student achievement fund and the education construction account are expected to collectively receive one hundred two million dollars annually from state lottery games other than the shared game lottery. For fiscal year 2003 and thereafter, if the amount of lottery revenues earmarked for the student achievement fund and the education construction account are less than one hundred two million dollars, the commission must transfer sufficient moneys from revenues derived from the shared game lottery into the student achievement fund and the education construction account to bring the total revenue up to one hundred two million dollars. The funds transferred from the shared game lottery account under this subsection must be divided between the student achievement fund and the education construction account in a manner consistent with RCW 67.70.240(3).
     (3) ((For fiscal year 2003,)) Beginning with fiscal year 2004, from the amounts remaining after the transfers required in subsection (2) of this section, if any, the commission shall annually transfer from revenues derived from the shared game lottery to the violence reduction and drug enforcement account under RCW 69.50.520 five hundred thousand dollars, or so much thereof as is available after the transfers required in subsection (2) of this section, exclusively for the treatment of pathological gambling as prescribed by RCW 67.70.350. By December 1st of each year, agencies receiving these funds shall report to the standing committees of the house of representatives and the senate having responsibility for gambling policy on the expenditure of these funds and the status of the treatment supported by these funds.
     (4) The remaining net revenues, if any, in the shared game lottery account after the transfers shall be deposited into the general fund.