CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT

HOUSE BILL 1433

Chapter 393, Laws of 2009

61st Legislature
2009 Regular Session



ILLEGAL OPERATION OF VEHICLE--DAMAGE TO STATE PROPERTY



EFFECTIVE DATE: 07/26/09

Passed by the House April 18, 2009
  Yeas 97   Nays 0

FRANK CHOPP
________________________________________    
Speaker of the House of Representatives


Passed by the Senate March 31, 2009
  Yeas 48   Nays 0


BRAD OWEN
________________________________________    
President of the Senate
 
CERTIFICATE

I, Barbara Baker, Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is HOUSE BILL 1433 as passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate on the dates hereon set forth.


BARBARA BAKER
________________________________________    
Chief Clerk
Approved May 7, 2009, 2:29 p.m.








CHRISTINE GREGOIRE
________________________________________    
Governor of the State of Washington
 
FILED
May 8, 2009







Secretary of State
State of Washington


_____________________________________________ 

HOUSE BILL 1433
_____________________________________________

AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE

Passed Legislature - 2009 Regular Session
State of Washington61st Legislature2009 Regular Session

By Representatives Liias, Sells, Eddy, and Clibborn; by request of Department of Transportation

Read first time 01/21/09.   Referred to Committee on Transportation.



     AN ACT Relating to liability for damages to state property resulting from the illegal operation of a vehicle; and amending RCW 46.44.110.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 46.44.110 and 1984 c 7 s 59 are each amended to read as follows:
     Any person operating any vehicle or moving any object or conveyance upon any public highway in this state or upon any bridge or elevated structure that is a part of any such public highway is liable for all damages that the public highway, bridge, ((or)) elevated structure, or other state property may sustain as a result of any illegal operation of the vehicle or the moving of any such object or conveyance or as a result of the operation or moving of any vehicle, object, or conveyance weighing in excess of the legal weight limits allowed by law. This section applies to any person operating any vehicle or moving any object or contrivance in any illegal or negligent manner or without a special permit as provided by law for vehicles, objects, or contrivances that are overweight, overwidth, overheight, or overlength. Any person operating any vehicle is liable for any damage to any public highway, bridge, ((or)) elevated structure, or other state property sustained as the result of any negligent operation thereof. When the operator is not the owner of the vehicle, object, or contrivance but is operating or moving it with the express or implied permission of the owner, the owner and the operator are jointly and severally liable for any such damage. Such damage to any state highway ((or)), structure, or other state property may be recovered in a civil action instituted in the name of the state of Washington by the department of transportation or other affected state agency. Any measure of damage ((to any public highway)) determined by the department of transportation ((by reason of)) to its highway, bridge, elevated structure, or other property under this section is prima facie the amount of damage caused thereby and is presumed to be the amount recoverable in any civil action therefor. The damages available under this section include the incident response costs, including traffic control, incurred by the department of transportation.


         Passed by the House April 18, 2009.
         Passed by the Senate March 31, 2009.
         Approved by the Governor May 7, 2009.
         Filed in Office of Secretary of State May 8, 2009.