5643-SAMSESSES2586.1SSB 5643S AMD244By Senator Esser Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert thefollowing:Sec. RCW 46.16.230 and 1992 c 7 s 41 are each amended to readas follows: (1) The director shall furnish to all persons making satisfactoryapplication for vehicle license as provided by law, two identicalvehicle license number plates each containing the vehicle licensenumber to be displayed on such vehicle as by law required: PROVIDED,That if the vehicle to be licensed is a trailer, semitrailer ormotorcycle only one vehicle license number plate shall be issued foreach thereof. The number and plate shall be of such size and color andshall contain such symbols indicative of the registration period forwhich the same is issued and of the state of Washington, as shall bedetermined and prescribed by the director. Any vehicle license numberplate or plates issued to a dealer shall contain thereon a sufficientand satisfactory indication that such plates have been issued to adealer in vehicles. All vehicle license number plates may be obtainedby the director from the metal working plant of a state correctionalfacility or from any source in accordance with existing state ofWashington purchasing procedures. (2) Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this section, thedirector may, in his discretion and under such rules and regulations ashe may prescribe, adopt a type of vehicle license number plates wherebythe same shall be used as long as legible on the vehicle for whichissued, with provision for tabs or emblems to be attached thereto orelsewhere on the vehicle to signify renewals, in which event the term"vehicle license number plate" as used in any enactment shall be deemedto include in addition to such plate the tab or emblem signifying 1 renewal except when such plate contains the designation of the currentyear without reference to any tab or emblem. Renewals shall beeffected by the issuance and display of such tab or emblem. (3) The department shall implement a flat, digitally printedlicense plate system that must be used to manufacture all licenseplates issued by the department. This system must be in place andoperational by July 1, 2004, and must be used to produce all licenseplates issued by the department by no later than December 31, 2004.Sec. RCW 46.16.233 and 2000 c 37 s 1 are each amended to readas follows: (1) Except for those license plates issued under RCW 46.16.305(1)before January 1, 1987, under RCW 46.16.305(3), and to commercialvehicles with a gross weight in excess of twentysix thousand pounds,effective with vehicle registrations due or to become due on January 1,2001, the appearance of all vehicle license plates must be ((issued ona standard background)) legible and clearly identifiable as aWashington state license plate, as designated by the department. (2) Additionally, to ensure maximum legibility and reflectivity,the department shall periodically provide for the replacement oflicense plates, except for commercial vehicles with a gross weight inexcess of twentysix thousand pounds. Frequency of replacement shallbe established in accordance with empirical studies documenting thelongevity of the reflective materials used to make license plates. (3) In providing for the periodic replacement of license plates,the department shall offer to vehicle owners the option of retainingtheir current license plate numbers. The department shall charge aretention fee of twenty dollars if this option is exercised. Revenuegenerated from the retention fee must be deposited into the licenseplate technology account created under section 4 of this act until suchtime as the financing necessary to implement a digital license platesystem has been paid in full. After the financing has been paid infull, the revenue collected under this section shall be deposited intothe motor vehicle account.Sec. RCW 46.01.140 and 2001 c 331 s 1 are each amended to readas follows: (1) The county auditor, if appointed by the director of licensing 2 shall carry out the provisions of this title relating to the licensingof vehicles and the issuance of vehicle license number plates under thedirection and supervision of the director and may with the approval ofthe director appoint assistants as special deputies and recommendsubagents to accept applications and collect fees for vehicle licensesand transfers and to deliver vehicle license number plates. (2) A county auditor appointed by the director may request that thedirector appoint subagencies within the county. (a) Upon authorization of the director, the auditor shall use anopen competitive process including, but not limited to, a writtenbusiness proposal and oral interview to determine the qualifications ofall interested applicants. (b) A subagent may recommend a successor who is either thesubagent's sibling, spouse, or child, or a subagency employee, as longas the recommended successor participates in the open, competitiveprocess used to select an applicant. In making successorrecommendation and appointment determinations, the following provisionsapply: (i) If a subagency is held by a partnership or corporate entity,the nomination must be submitted on behalf of, and agreed to by, allpartners or corporate officers. (ii) No subagent may receive any direct or indirect compensation orremuneration from any party or entity in recognition of a successornomination. A subagent may not receive any financial benefit from thetransfer or termination of an appointment. (iii) (a) and (b) of this subsection are intended to assist in theefficient transfer of appointments in order to minimize publicinconvenience. They do not create a proprietary or property interestin the appointment. (c) The auditor shall submit all proposals to the director, andshall recommend the appointment of one or more subagents who haveapplied through the open competitive process. The auditor shallinclude in his or her recommendation to the director, not only the nameof the successor who is a relative or employee, if applicable and ifotherwise qualified, but also the name of one other applicant who isqualified and was chosen through the open competitive process. Thedirector has final appointment authority. 3 (3)(a) A county auditor who is appointed as an agent by thedepartment shall enter into a standard contract provided by thedirector, developed with the advice of the title and registrationadvisory committee. (b) A subagent appointed under subsection (2) of this section shallenter into a standard contract with the county auditor, developed withthe advice of the title and registration advisory committee. Thedirector shall provide the standard contract to county auditors. (c) The contracts provided for in (a) and (b) of this subsectionmust contain at a minimum provisions that: (i) Describe the responsibilities, and where applicable, theliability, of each party relating to the service expectations andlevels, equipment to be supplied by the department, and equipmentmaintenance; (ii) Require the specific type of insurance or bonds so that thestate is protected against any loss of collected motor vehicle taxrevenues or loss of equipment; (iii) Specify the amount of training that will be provided by thestate, the county auditor, or subagents; (iv) Describe allowable costs that may be charged to vehiclelicensing activities as provided for in (d) of this subsection; (v) Describe the causes and procedures for termination of thecontract, which may include mediation and binding arbitration. (d) The department shall develop procedures that will standardizeand prescribe allowable costs that may be assigned to vehicle licensingand vessel registration and title activities performed by countyauditors. (e) The contracts may include any provision that the director deemsnecessary to ensure acceptable service and the full collection ofvehicle and vessel tax revenues. (f) The director may waive any provisions of the contract deemednecessary in order to ensure that readily accessible service isprovided to the citizens of the state. (4)(a) At any time any application is made to the director, thecounty auditor, or other agent pursuant to any law dealing withlicenses, registration, or the right to operate any vehicle or vesselupon the public highways or waters of this state, excluding applicantsalready paying such fee under RCW 46.16.070 or 46.16.085, the applicant 4 shall pay to the director, county auditor, or other agent a fee ofthree dollars for each application in addition to any other feesrequired by law. (b) Counties that do not cover the expenses of vehicle licensingand vessel registration and title activities may submit to thedepartment a request for costcoverage moneys. The request must besubmitted on a form developed by the department. The department shalldevelop procedures to verify whether a request is reasonable. Paymentshall be made on requests found to be allowable from the licensingservices account. (c) Applicants for certificates of ownership, including applicantspaying fees under RCW 46.16.070 or 46.16.085, shall pay to thedirector, county auditor, or other agent a fee of four dollars inaddition to any other fees required by law. (d) The fees under (a) and (c) of this subsection, if paid to thecounty auditor as agent of the director, or if paid to a subagent ofthe county auditor, shall be paid to the county treasurer in the samemanner as other fees collected by the county auditor and credited tothe county current expense fund. If the fee is paid to another agentof the director, the fee shall be used by the agent to defray his orher expenses in handling the application. (e) Applicants required to pay the threedollar fee establishedunder (a) of this subsection, must pay an additional ((fifty cents))dollar, which must be collected and remitted to the state treasurer((for deposit)) and distributed as follows: (i) Fifty cents must be deposited into the department of licensingservices account of the motor vehicle fund((. Revenue deposited intothis account)) and must be used for agent and subagent support, whichis to include but not be limited to the replacement of departmentownedequipment in the possession of agents and subagents. (ii) Fifty cents must be deposited into the license platetechnology account created under section 4 of this act. (5) A subagent shall collect a service fee of (a) eight dollars andfifty cents for changes in a certificate of ownership, with or withoutregistration renewal, or verification of record and preparation of anaffidavit of lost title other than at the time of the title applicationor transfer and (b) three dollars and fifty cents for registration 5 renewal only, issuing a transit permit, or any other service under thissection. (6) If the fee is collected by the state patrol as agent for thedirector, the fee so collected shall be certified to the statetreasurer and deposited to the credit of the state patrol highwayaccount. If the fee is collected by the department of transportationas agent for the director, the fee shall be certified to the statetreasurer and deposited to the credit of the motor vehicle fund. Allsuch fees collected by the director or branches of his office shall becertified to the state treasurer and deposited to the credit of thehighway safety fund. (7) Any county revenues that exceed the cost of providing vehiclelicensing and vessel registration and title activities in a county,calculated in accordance with the procedures in subsection (3)(d) ofthis section, shall be expended as determined by the county legislativeauthority during the process established by law for adoption of countybudgets. (8) The director may adopt rules to implement this section.NEW SECTION.Sec. A new section is added to chapter 46.16 RCWto read as follows: The license plate technology account is created in the statetreasury. All receipts collected under RCW 46.01.140(4)(e)(ii) must bedeposited into this account. Expenditures from this account mustsupport current and future license plate technology and systemsintegration upgrades for both the department and correctionalindustries. Moneys in the account may be spent only afterappropriation. Additionally, the moneys in this account may be used toreimburse the motor vehicle account for any appropriation made toimplement the digital license plate system.NEW SECTION.Sec. A new section is added to chapter 46.16 RCWto read as follows: The department shall offer license plate design services toorganizations that are sponsoring a new special license plate series orare seeking to redesign the appearance of an existing special licenseplate series that they sponsored. In providing this service, thedepartment must work with the requesting organization in determining 6 the specific qualities of the new plate design and must provide fulldesign services to the organization. The department shall collect fromthe requesting organization a fee of one thousand five hundred dollarsfor providing license plate design services. This fee includes oneoriginal license plate design and up to five additional renditions ofthe original design. If the organization requests the department toprovide further renditions, in addition to the five renditions providedfor under the original fee, the department shall collect an additionalfee of five hundred dollars per rendition. All revenue collected underthis section must be deposited into the license plate technologyaccount created under section 4 of this act until such time as thefinancing necessary to implement a digital license plate system hasbeen paid in full. After the financing has been paid in full, therevenue collected under this section shall be deposited into the publicsafety education account for the purpose of providing funding for thecrime victims compensation program established under chapter 7.68 RCW.Sec. RCW 46.16.606 and 1991 sp.s. c 7 s 13 are each amended toread as follows: In addition to the fees imposed in RCW 46.16.585 for applicationand renewal of personalized license plates an additional fee of ((ten))eleven dollars shall be charged. The revenue from the additional feemust be collected and remitted to the state treasurer and distributedas follows: (1) Ten dollars shall be deposited in the state wildlife fund andused for the management of resources associated with the nonconsumptiveuse of wildlife. (2) One dollar shall be deposited into the correctional industriesaccount created under RCW 72.09.090.NEW SECTION.Sec. Sections 2 and 3 of this act take effect forrenewals that are due or become due on or after November 1, 2003.NEW SECTION.Sec. If this act is not referenced by bill orchapter number by June 30, 2003, in the omnibus transportationappropriations act, this act is null and void. 7 SSB 5643S AMD244By Senator Esser On page 1, line 1 of the title, after plates; strike theremainder of the title and insert amending RCW 46.16.230, 46.16.233,46.01.140, and 46.16.606; adding new sections to chapter 46.16 RCW; andcreating new sections.Clarifies that all plates issued by the department must bemanufactured by the digital license plate system. After any capital investment necessary to implement the digitallicense plate system had been paid in full, the $20 fee collected forplate number retention must be deposited into the motor vehicle accountinstead of the multimodal transportation account. A dollar fee is added to personalized license plates and isrequired to be deposited into the Correctional Industries Account.--- END --- 8