Background:

Human trafficking.

In 2000, the United States enacted the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. In 2003, Washington became the first state to pass a law criminalizing human trafficking.

The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that annually between 14,500 and 17,500 foreign nationals enter the United States in the course of being trafficked. The "Trafficking in Persons Report" produced by the U.S. Department of State in 2010, reports that the United States is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to trafficking in persons, specifically forced labor, debt bondage, and forced prostitution. Trafficking occurs primarily for labor and most commonly in domestic servitude, agriculture, manufacturing, janitorial services, hotel services, construction, health and elder care, hair and nail salons, and strip club dancing. Trafficking cases also involve passport confiscation, nonpayment or limited payment of wages, restriction of movement, isolation from the community, and physical and sexual abuse as means of keeping victims in compelled service.

Document Recording Surcharges.

Currently, there are three document recording surcharges related to affordable housing and homelessness.

(1) A $10 Affordable Housing for All document recording surcharge is collected by county auditors. The fees are distributed and used as follows:

up to 5 percent is retained by the county auditor for the collection and administration of the funds;
of the remaining, 40 percent is remitted to the State Treasurer for deposit into the Affordable Housing for All Account for the Department of Commerce (Department) to provide housing and shelter for households with incomes at or below 30 percent of the area median; and
the remainder is deposited in a fund for the county and its cities and towns for eligible housing activities that serve very low-income households (with incomes at or below 50 percent of the area median), with priority given to households with incomes at or below 30 percent of the area median. Funding may be used for: the acquisition, construction, or rehabilitation of housing projects; building operation and maintenance costs of housing projects; rental assistance vouchers; and operating costs for emergency shelters and overnight shelters.

(2) A $30 Homeless Housing and Assistance document recording surcharge is collected by county auditors. Beginning in the 2013-15 biennium, this surcharge will be $10. The fees are distributed and used as follows:

2 percent is retained by the county auditor for collection of the fee;
58.8 percent is deposited into a fund used by the county and its cities and towns to accomplish the goals in the county's local homeless housing plan and cover administrative costs related to the plan. A specified share is remitted to the city treasurer to be used to accomplish the goals of any city that has its own local homeless housing plan; and
39.2 percent is remitted to the State Treasurer for deposit in the Home Security Fund Account used by the Department to provide housing and shelter for people who are homeless, fund the homeless housing grant program, and administer the homeless housing program.

(3) An additional $8 document recording surcharge is collected by county auditors for homeless housing programs. The fees are distributed and used as follows:

90 percent is deposited into a fund used by the county for programs accomplishing the goals of the county's homeless housing plan and related administration; and
10 percent is remitted to the State Treasurer for deposit into the Home Security Fund Account used by the Department for program administration, housing and shelter assistance for homeless persons, and the Homeless Housing Grant Program.