Passed by the House March 4, 2006 Yeas 97 Nays 0 ________________________________________ Speaker of the House of Representatives Passed by the Senate February 28, 2006 Yeas 49 Nays 0 ________________________________________ President of the Senate		CERTIFICATE I, Richard Nafziger, Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2471 as passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate on the dates hereon set forth. ________________________________________ Chief Clerk
Approved ________________________________________ Governor of the State of Washington		FILED Secretary of State State of Washington

AN ACT Relating to creating a veteran homeownership program; reenacting and amending RCW 41.04.007; and adding a new section to chapter 43.180 RCW.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   A new section is added to chapter 43.180 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) By January 1, 2007, the Washington state housing finance commission shall create and implement a veteran homeownership downpayment assistance program to work in conjunction with the commission's housing finance programs. The program will assist the following individuals purchase a home:
     (a) Washington state residents who are veterans, as defined by RCW 41.04.007;
     (b) Members and former members of the Washington national guard and reserve; and
     (c) Never remarried spouses and dependent children of deceased veterans, as defined by RCW 41.04.007.
     (2) The commission shall adopt rules providing procedures to assure that the downpayment assistance program is available for qualified veterans in a fair and equitable manner.

Sec. 2   RCW 41.04.007 and 2005 c 251 s 1 and 2005 c 216 s 7 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:
     "Veteran" includes every person, who at the time he or she seeks the benefits of RCW 46.16.30920, 72.36.030, 41.04.010, 73.04.090, 73.04.110, 73.08.010, 73.08.060, 73.08.070, ((or)) 73.08.080, or section 1 of this act has received an honorable discharge or received a discharge for medical reasons with an honorable record, where applicable, and who has served in at least one of the following capacities:
     (1) As a member in any branch of the armed forces of the United States, including the national guard and armed forces reserves, and has fulfilled his or her initial military service obligation;
     (2) As a member of the women's air forces service pilots;
     (3) As a member of the armed forces reserves, national guard, or coast guard, and has been called into federal service by a presidential select reserve call up for at least one hundred eighty cumulative days;
     (4) As a civil service crewmember with service aboard a U.S. army transport service or U.S. naval transportation service vessel in oceangoing service from December 7, 1941, through December 31, 1946;
     (5) As a member of the Philippine armed forces/scouts during the period of armed conflict from December 7, 1941, through August 15, 1945; or
     (6) A United States documented merchant mariner with service aboard an oceangoing vessel operated by the department of defense, or its agents, from both June 25, 1950, through July 27, 1953, in Korean territorial waters and from August 5, 1964, through May 7, 1975, in Vietnam territorial waters, and who received a military commendation.