BILL REQ. #:  S-3901.4 

Read first time 01/19/2006.   Referred to Committee on Transportation.

     AN ACT Relating to transportation safety improvement funding; adding a new section to chapter 48.14 RCW; and providing an effective date.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   A new section is added to chapter 48.14 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) Each insurer engaged in writing automobile policies shall, on or before April 15th of each year, pay to the state treasurer through the commissioner's office a transportation enforcement fee. The fee shall be one dollar per vehicle and must be included in the premiums for all motor vehicle insurance policies. Two-thirds of the money shall be deposited into the state patrol highway account created in RCW 46.68.030 to be used for additional emphasis patrols in high-accident-corridor locations on state routes; and the remainder shall be deposited into the highway safety fund created in RCW 46.68.060 to be used to create a county road high-accident-corridor emphasis patrol program. The program shall be administered by the Washington state traffic safety commission. County law enforcement may apply to the commission for emphasis patrols on specific high-accident-corridors within their county. The commission shall determine what criteria to use in awarding these emphasis patrols. The emphasis patrols shall be performed by the Washington state patrol at no cost to the county. For purposes of this section, high-accident-corridor means a highway corridor of one mile or more where a five-year analysis of collision history indicates that the section has higher than average collision and severity factors.
     (2) The commissioner shall annually, on or before April 1st, calculate and bill each organization for the amount of the fee. Fees shall be due and payable no later than April 15th of each year. The penalties for failure to pay fees when due shall be the same as the penalties for failure to pay taxes pursuant to RCW 48.14.060. The fees required by this section are in addition to all other taxes and fees now imposed or that may be subsequently imposed.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   This act takes effect August 1, 2006.