BILL REQ. #:  S-0915.2 

Read first time 01/24/2003.   Referred to Committee on Ways & Means.

     AN ACT Relating to the state expenditure limit; amending RCW 43.135.025; reenacting and amending RCW 43.135.035, 43.135.045, and 43.84.092; and repealing RCW 43.33A.220 and 43.135.051.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 43.135.025 and 2000 2nd sp.s. c 2 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The state shall not expend from the general fund and related funds during any fiscal year state moneys in excess of the state expenditure limit established under this chapter.
     (2) Except pursuant to a declaration of emergency under RCW 43.135.035 or pursuant to an appropriation under RCW 43.135.045(((4))) (2)(b), the state treasurer shall not issue or redeem any check, warrant, or voucher that will result in a state general fund or related fund expenditure for any fiscal year in excess of the state expenditure limit established under this chapter. A violation of this subsection constitutes a violation of RCW 43.88.290 and shall subject the state treasurer to the penalties provided in RCW 43.88.300.
     (3) The state expenditure limit for any fiscal year shall be the previous fiscal year's state expenditure limit increased by a percentage rate that equals the fiscal growth factor.
     (4) For purposes of computing the state expenditure limit for the fiscal year beginning July 1, ((1995)) 2003, the phrase "the previous fiscal year's state expenditure limit" means the total state expenditures from the state general fund and related funds, not including federal funds, for the fiscal year beginning July 1, ((1989)) 2002, plus the fiscal growth factor. ((This calculation is then computed for the state expenditure limit for fiscal years 1992, 1993, 1994, and 1995, and as required under RCW 43.135.035(4).))
     (5) A state expenditure limit committee is established for the purpose of determining and adjusting the state expenditure limit as provided in this chapter. The members of the state expenditure limit committee are the director of financial management, the attorney general or the attorney general's designee, and the chairs and ranking minority members of the senate committee on ways and means and the house of representatives committee on appropriations. All actions of the state expenditure limit committee taken pursuant to this chapter require an affirmative vote of at least ((three)) four members.
     (6) Each November, the state expenditure limit committee shall adjust the expenditure limit for the preceding fiscal year based on actual expenditures and known changes in the fiscal growth factor and then project an expenditure limit for the next two fiscal years. If, by November 30th, the state expenditure limit committee has not adopted the expenditure limit adjustment and projected expenditure limit as provided in subsection (5) of this section, the attorney general or his or her designee shall adjust or project the expenditure limit, as necessary.
     (7) "Fiscal growth factor" means the average of the sum of inflation and population change for each of the prior three fiscal years.
     (8) "Inflation" means the percentage change in the implicit price deflator for the United States for each fiscal year as published by the federal bureau of labor statistics.
     (9) "Population change" means the percentage change in state population for each fiscal year as reported by the office of financial management.
     (10) "General fund and related funds" means the state general fund, health services account, violence reduction and drug enforcement account, public safety and education account, water quality account, and student achievement fund.

Sec. 2   RCW 43.135.035 and 2001 c 3 s 8 and 2000 2nd sp.s. c 2 s 2 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:
     (1) After July 1, 1995, any action or combination of actions by the legislature that raises state revenue to the general fund or related funds or requires revenue-neutral tax shifts may be taken only if approved by a two-thirds vote of each house, and then only if state expenditures in any fiscal year, including the new revenue, will not exceed the state expenditure limits established under this chapter.
     (2)(a) If the legislative action under subsection (1) of this section will result in expenditures in excess of the state expenditure limit, then the action of the legislature shall not take effect until approved by a vote of the people at a November general election. The ((office of financial management)) state expenditure limit committee shall adjust the state expenditure limit by the amount of additional revenue approved by the voters under this section. This adjustment shall not exceed the amount of revenue generated by the legislative action during the first full fiscal year in which it is in effect. The state expenditure limit shall be adjusted downward upon expiration or repeal of the legislative action.
     (b) The ballot title for any vote of the people required under this section shall be substantially as follows:

     "Shall taxes be imposed on . . . . . . . in order to allow a spending increase above last year's authorized spending adjusted for inflation and population increases?"

     (3)(a) The state expenditure limit may be exceeded upon declaration of an emergency for a period not to exceed twenty-four months by a law approved by a two-thirds vote of each house of the legislature and signed by the governor. The law shall set forth the nature of the emergency, which is limited to natural disasters that require immediate government action to alleviate human suffering and provide humanitarian assistance. The state expenditure limit may be exceeded for no more than twenty-four months following the declaration of the emergency and only for the purposes contained in the emergency declaration.
     (b) Additional taxes required for an emergency under this section may be imposed only until thirty days following the next general election, unless an extension is approved at that general election. The additional taxes shall expire upon expiration of the declaration of emergency. The legislature shall not impose additional taxes for emergency purposes under this subsection unless funds in the education construction fund have been exhausted.
     (c) The state or any political subdivision of the state shall not impose any tax on intangible property listed in RCW 84.36.070 as that statute exists on January 1, 1993.
     (4) If the cost of any state program or function is shifted from the state general fund ((on or after January 1, 1993,)) or related fund to another source of funding, or if moneys are transferred from the state general fund or related fund to another fund or account, the state expenditure limit committee, acting pursuant to RCW 43.135.025(5), shall lower the state expenditure limit to reflect the shift. For the purposes of this section, a transfer of money from the state general fund or related fund to another fund or account includes any state legislative action ((taken after July 1, 2000,)) that has the effect of reducing revenues from a particular source, where such revenues would otherwise be deposited into the state general fund or related fund, while increasing the revenues from that particular source to another state or local government account. This subsection does not apply to the dedication or use of lottery revenues under RCW 67.70.240(3) or property taxes under RCW 84.52.068, in support of education or education expenditures.
     (5) If the cost of any state program or function ((is)) and the ongoing revenue necessary to fund the program or function are shifted to the state general fund or related fund on or after January 1, ((2000, from another source of funding, or if moneys are transferred to the state general fund from another fund or account)) 2003, the state expenditure limit committee, acting pursuant to RCW 43.135.025(5), shall increase the state expenditure limit to reflect the shift.

Sec. 3   RCW 43.135.045 and 2001 c 3 s 9, 2000 2nd sp.s. c 5 s 1, and 2000 2nd sp.s. c 2 s 3 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:
     (1) ((The emergency reserve fund is established in the state treasury. During each fiscal year, the state treasurer shall deposit in the emergency reserve fund all general fund -- state revenues in excess of the state expenditure limit for that fiscal year. Deposits shall be made at the end of each fiscal quarter based on projections of state revenues and the state expenditure limit. The treasurer shall make transfers between these accounts as necessary to reconcile actual annual revenues and the expenditure limit for fiscal year 2000 and thereafter.
     (2) The legislature may appropriate moneys from the emergency reserve fund only with approval of at least two-thirds of the members of each house of the legislature, and then only if the appropriation does not cause total expenditures to exceed the state expenditure limit under this chapter.
     (3) The emergency reserve fund balance shall not exceed five percent of annual general fund -- state revenues as projected by the official state revenue forecast. Any balance in excess of five percent shall be transferred on a quarterly basis by the state treasurer as follows: Seventy-five percent to)) The student achievement fund is hereby created in the state treasury ((and twenty-five percent to the general fund balance. The treasurer shall make transfers between these accounts as necessary to reconcile actual annual revenues for fiscal year 2000 and thereafter. When per-student state funding for the maintenance and operation of K-12 education meets a level of no less than ninety percent of the national average of total funding from all sources per student as determined by the most recent published data from the national center for education statistics of the United States department of education, as calculated by the office of financial management, further deposits to the student achievement fund shall be required only to the extent necessary to maintain the ninety-percent level. Remaining funds are part of the general fund balance and these funds are subject to the expenditure limits of this chapter)).
     (((4))) (2) The education construction fund is hereby created in the state treasury.
     (a) Funds may be appropriated from the education construction fund exclusively for common school construction or higher education construction.
     (b) Funds may be appropriated for any other purpose only if approved by a two-thirds vote of each house of the legislature and if approved by a vote of the people at the next general election. An appropriation approved by the people under this subsection shall result in an adjustment to the state expenditure limit only for the fiscal period for which the appropriation is made and shall not affect any subsequent fiscal period.
     (((5))) (3) Funds from the student achievement fund shall be appropriated to the superintendent of public instruction strictly for distribution to school districts to meet the provisions set out in the student achievement act. Allocations shall be made on an equal per full-time equivalent student basis to each school district.
     (((6) Earnings of the emergency reserve fund under RCW 43.84.092(4)(a) shall be transferred quarterly to the multimodal transportation account, except for those earnings that are in excess of thirty-five million dollars each fiscal year. Within thirty days following any fiscal year in which earnings transferred to the multimodal transportation account under this subsection did not total thirty-five million dollars, the state treasurer shall transfer from the emergency reserve fund an amount necessary to bring the total deposited in the multimodal transportation account under this subsection to thirty-five million dollars. The revenues to the multimodal transportation account reflected in this subsection provide ongoing support for the transportation programs of the state. However, it is the intent of the legislature that any new long-term financial support that may be subsequently provided for transportation programs will be used to replace and supplant the revenues reflected in this subsection, thereby allowing those revenues to be returned to the purposes to which they were previously dedicated.))

Sec. 4   RCW 43.84.092 and 2002 c 242 s 2, 2002 c 114 s 24, and 2002 c 56 s 402 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:
     (1) All earnings of investments of surplus balances in the state treasury shall be deposited to the treasury income account, which account is hereby established in the state treasury.
     (2) The treasury income account shall be utilized to pay or receive funds associated with federal programs as required by the federal cash management improvement act of 1990. The treasury income account is subject in all respects to chapter 43.88 RCW, but no appropriation is required for refunds or allocations of interest earnings required by the cash management improvement act. Refunds of interest to the federal treasury required under the cash management improvement act fall under RCW 43.88.180 and shall not require appropriation. The office of financial management shall determine the amounts due to or from the federal government pursuant to the cash management improvement act. The office of financial management may direct transfers of funds between accounts as deemed necessary to implement the provisions of the cash management improvement act, and this subsection. Refunds or allocations shall occur prior to the distributions of earnings set forth in subsection (4) of this section.
     (3) Except for the provisions of RCW 43.84.160, the treasury income account may be utilized for the payment of purchased banking services on behalf of treasury funds including, but not limited to, depository, safekeeping, and disbursement functions for the state treasury and affected state agencies. The treasury income account is subject in all respects to chapter 43.88 RCW, but no appropriation is required for payments to financial institutions. Payments shall occur prior to distribution of earnings set forth in subsection (4) of this section.
     (4) Monthly, the state treasurer shall distribute the earnings credited to the treasury income account. The state treasurer shall credit the general fund with all the earnings credited to the treasury income account except:
     (a) The following accounts and funds shall receive their proportionate share of earnings based upon each account's and fund's average daily balance for the period: The capitol building construction account, the Cedar River channel construction and operation account, the Central Washington University capital projects account, the charitable, educational, penal and reformatory institutions account, the common school construction fund, the county criminal justice assistance account, the county sales and use tax equalization account, the data processing building construction account, the deferred compensation administrative account, the deferred compensation principal account, the department of retirement systems expense account, the drinking water assistance account, the drinking water assistance administrative account, the drinking water assistance repayment account, the Eastern Washington University capital projects account, the education construction fund, ((the emergency reserve fund,)) the federal forest revolving account, the health services account, the public health services account, the health system capacity account, the personal health services account, the state higher education construction account, the higher education construction account, the highway infrastructure account, the industrial insurance premium refund account, the judges' retirement account, the judicial retirement administrative account, the judicial retirement principal account, the local leasehold excise tax account, the local real estate excise tax account, the local sales and use tax account, the medical aid account, the mobile home park relocation fund, the multimodal transportation account, the municipal criminal justice assistance account, the municipal sales and use tax equalization account, the natural resources deposit account, the oyster reserve land account, the perpetual surveillance and maintenance account, the public employees' retirement system plan 1 account, the public employees' retirement system combined plan 2 and plan 3 account, the public facilities construction loan revolving account beginning July 1, 2004, the public health supplemental account, the Puyallup tribal settlement account, the regional transportation investment district account, the resource management cost account, the site closure account, the special wildlife account, the state employees' insurance account, the state employees' insurance reserve account, the state investment board expense account, the state investment board commingled trust fund accounts, the supplemental pension account, the Tacoma Narrows toll bridge account, the teachers' retirement system plan 1 account, the teachers' retirement system combined plan 2 and plan 3 account, the tobacco prevention and control account, the tobacco settlement account, the transportation infrastructure account, the tuition recovery trust fund, the University of Washington bond retirement fund, the University of Washington building account, the volunteer fire fighters' and reserve officers' relief and pension principal fund, the volunteer fire fighters' and reserve officers' administrative fund, the Washington fruit express account, the Washington judicial retirement system account, the Washington law enforcement officers' and fire fighters' system plan 1 retirement account, the Washington law enforcement officers' and fire fighters' system plan 2 retirement account, the Washington school employees' retirement system combined plan 2 and 3 account, the Washington state health insurance pool account, the Washington state patrol retirement account, the Washington State University building account, the Washington State University bond retirement fund, the water pollution control revolving fund, and the Western Washington University capital projects account. Earnings derived from investing balances of the agricultural permanent fund, the normal school permanent fund, the permanent common school fund, the scientific permanent fund, and the state university permanent fund shall be allocated to their respective beneficiary accounts. All earnings to be distributed under this subsection (4)(a) shall first be reduced by the allocation to the state treasurer's service fund pursuant to RCW 43.08.190.
     (b) The following accounts and funds shall receive eighty percent of their proportionate share of earnings based upon each account's or fund's average daily balance for the period: The aeronautics account, the aircraft search and rescue account, the county arterial preservation account, the department of licensing services account, the essential rail assistance account, the ferry bond retirement fund, the grade crossing protective fund, the high capacity transportation account, the highway bond retirement fund, the highway safety account, the motor vehicle fund, the motorcycle safety education account, the pilotage account, the public transportation systems account, the Puget Sound capital construction account, the Puget Sound ferry operations account, the recreational vehicle account, the rural arterial trust account, the safety and education account, the special category C account, the state patrol highway account, the transportation equipment fund, the transportation fund, the transportation improvement account, the transportation improvement board bond retirement account, and the urban arterial trust account.
     (5) In conformance with Article II, section 37 of the state Constitution, no treasury accounts or funds shall be allocated earnings without the specific affirmative directive of this section.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 5   The following acts or parts of acts are each repealed:
     (1) RCW 43.33A.220 (Emergency reserve fund -- Board's duties) and 1999 c 288 s 2; and
     (2) RCW 43.135.051 (Emergency reserve fund -- State investment board authority to invest or manage) and 1999 c 288 s 1.