AN ACT Relating to responding to the crisis of homelessness in Washington; reenacting and amending RCW 43.84.092; adding a new section to chapter 43.330 RCW; creating a new section; and making appropriations.

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

The legislature recognizes that as the representative body of the people of Washington, its sole duty is to work without judgment and in the best interest of those people. The legislature further recognizes that in order to fulfill this duty, it must act swiftly in times of crisis, and not stay silent even if those it represents are silenced by their own need.

Research shows it comes at significant financial cost to keep people on the streets, as those who are homeless are far more likely to end up in jail for noncriminal offenses, in need of emergency medical services, and in emergency shelters. State funding for low-income housing and emergency shelters has not kept pace with the increasing demand for these services. The legislature therefore finds our state's cities and counties are left to address the crisis of homelessness with ever limited resources.

Homelessness also comes at a great human cost. These homeless people include families, veterans, children, and people with mental illness and/or chemical dependency. One medical or financial crisis in a person's life can commit them to an ongoing cycle of poverty that leads to chronic homelessness. The legislature recognizes that in doing nothing to stem this crisis, it forfeits the moral and financial upper hand where this issue is concerned.

While the causes of homelessness are many, part of the remedy is to provide shelter. The legislature intends to work in concert with other governments and organizations to provide support and funds to increase services to homeless Washingtonians, and to ease the desperate crisis faced by tens of thousands of people in our communities every day.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 43.330 RCW to read as follows:

The homeless assistance account is created in the state treasury. Legislative appropriations and transfers from the budget stabilization account may be deposited into the account. Moneys in the account may be spent only after appropriation. Expenditures from the account may be used only for housing assistance, support services, treatment for mental illness and/or chemical dependency, family services, and other purposes to address the state's homeless population.

(2) The sum of eighty-six million eighty thousand dollars is appropriated for the biennium ending June 30, 2017, from the homeless assistance account to the department of commerce for the purposes set forth in this subsection. This appropriation is subject to the following conditions and limitations: No more than one percent of the funds may be used for administrative purposes; and the funds must be distributed statewide, as follows:

(a) The sum of four million six hundred twenty-five thousand dollars for services to homeless youth, including hope beds, street youth, and the homeless student stability and opportunity gap act (Substitute Senate Bill No. 6298);

(b) The sum of three million dollars to the consolidated homeless grant program;

(c) The sum of eighteen million four hundred fifty-five thousand dollars for behavioral health housing and services to provide housing and stabilization services to the chronically homeless, mentally ill, or chemically dependent; and

(d) The sum of sixty million dollars to sheltering, including emergency shelter and support services, for individuals and families, including assistance to families in the temporary assistance for needy families program, and to the housing and essential needs program.

Sec. 5.  RCW 43.84.092 and 2015 3rd sp.s. c 44 s 107 and 2015 3rd sp.s. c 12 s 3 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:

(1) All earnings of investments of surplus balances in the state treasury shall be deposited to the treasury income account, which account is hereby established in the state treasury.

(2) The treasury income account shall be utilized to pay or receive funds associated with federal programs as required by the federal cash management improvement act of 1990. The treasury income account is subject in all respects to chapter 43.88 RCW, but no appropriation is required for refunds or allocations of interest earnings required by the cash management improvement act. Refunds of interest to the federal treasury required under the cash management improvement act fall under RCW 43.88.180 and shall not require appropriation. The office of financial management shall determine the amounts due to or from the federal government pursuant to the cash management improvement act. The office of financial management may direct transfers of funds between accounts as deemed necessary to implement the provisions of the cash management improvement act, and this subsection. Refunds or allocations shall occur prior to the distributions of earnings set forth in subsection (4) of this section.

(3) Except for the provisions of RCW 43.84.160, the treasury income account may be utilized for the payment of purchased banking services on behalf of treasury funds including, but not limited to, depository, safekeeping, and disbursement functions for the state treasury and affected state agencies. The treasury income account is subject in all respects to chapter 43.88 RCW, but no appropriation is required for payments to financial institutions. Payments shall occur prior to distribution of earnings set forth in subsection (4) of this section.

(4) Monthly, the state treasurer shall distribute the earnings credited to the treasury income account. The state treasurer shall credit the general fund with all the earnings credited to the treasury income account except:

(a) The following accounts and funds shall receive their proportionate share of earnings based upon each account's and fund's average daily balance for the period: The aeronautics account, the aircraft search and rescue account, the Alaskan Way viaduct replacement project account, the brownfield redevelopment trust fund account, the budget stabilization account, the capital vessel replacement account, the capitol building construction account, the Cedar River channel construction and operation account, the Central Washington University capital projects account, the charitable, educational, penal and reformatory institutions account, the cleanup settlement account, the Columbia river basin water supply development account, the Columbia river basin taxable bond water supply development account, the Columbia river basin water supply revenue recovery account, the common school construction fund, the community forest trust account, the connecting Washington account, the county arterial preservation account, the county criminal justice assistance account, the deferred compensation administrative account, the deferred compensation principal account, the department of licensing services account, the department of retirement systems expense account, the developmental disabilities community trust account, the diesel idle reduction account, the drinking water assistance account, the drinking water assistance administrative account, the drinking water assistance repayment account, the Eastern Washington University capital projects account, the Interstate 405 express toll lanes operations account, the education construction fund, the education legacy trust account, the election account, the electric vehicle charging infrastructure account, the energy freedom account, the energy recovery act account, the essential rail assistance account, The Evergreen State College capital projects account, the federal forest revolving account, the ferry bond retirement fund, the freight mobility investment account, the freight mobility multimodal account, the grade crossing protective fund, the public health services account, the high capacity transportation account, the state higher education construction account, the higher education construction account, the highway bond retirement fund, the highway infrastructure account, the highway safety fund, the high occupancy toll lanes operations account, the hospital safety net assessment fund, the homeless assistance account, the industrial insurance premium refund account, the judges' retirement account, the judicial retirement administrative account, the judicial retirement principal account, the local leasehold excise tax account, the local real estate excise tax account, the local sales and use tax account, the marine resources stewardship trust account, the medical aid account, the mobile home park relocation fund, the motor vehicle fund, the motorcycle safety education account, the multimodal transportation account, the multiuse roadway safety account, the municipal criminal justice assistance account, the natural resources deposit account, the oyster reserve land account, the pension funding stabilization account, the perpetual surveillance and maintenance account, the public employees' retirement system plan 1 account, the public employees' retirement system combined plan 2 and plan 3 account, the public facilities construction loan revolving account beginning July 1, 2004, the public health supplemental account, the public works assistance account, the Puget Sound capital construction account, the Puget Sound ferry operations account, the Puget Sound taxpayer accountability account, the real estate appraiser commission account, the recreational vehicle account, the regional mobility grant program account, the resource management cost account, the rural arterial trust account, the rural mobility grant program account, the rural Washington loan fund, the site closure account, the skilled nursing facility safety net trust fund, the small city pavement and sidewalk account, the special category C account, the special wildlife account, the state employees' insurance account, the state employees' insurance reserve account, the state investment board expense account, the state investment board commingled trust fund accounts, the state patrol highway account, the state route number 520 civil penalties account, the state route number 520 corridor account, the state wildlife account, the supplemental pension account, the Tacoma Narrows toll bridge account, the teachers' retirement system plan 1 account, the teachers' retirement system combined plan 2 and plan 3 account, the tobacco prevention and control account, the tobacco settlement account, the toll facility bond retirement account, the transportation 2003 account (nickel account), the transportation equipment fund, the transportation fund, the transportation future funding program account, the transportation improvement account, the transportation improvement board bond retirement account, the transportation infrastructure account, the transportation partnership account, the traumatic brain injury account, the tuition recovery trust fund, the University of Washington bond retirement fund, the University of Washington building account, the volunteer firefighters' and reserve officers' relief and pension principal fund, the volunteer firefighters' and reserve officers' administrative fund, the Washington judicial retirement system account, the Washington law enforcement officers' and firefighters' system plan 1 retirement account, the Washington law enforcement officers' and firefighters' system plan 2 retirement account, the Washington public safety employees' plan 2 retirement account, the Washington school employees' retirement system combined plan 2 and 3 account, the Washington state health insurance pool account, the Washington state patrol retirement account, the Washington State University building account, the Washington State University bond retirement fund, the water pollution control revolving administration account, the water pollution control revolving fund, the Western Washington University capital projects account, the Yakima integrated plan implementation account, the Yakima integrated plan implementation revenue recovery account, and the Yakima integrated plan implementation taxable bond account. Earnings derived from investing balances of the agricultural permanent fund, the normal school permanent fund, the permanent common school fund, the scientific permanent fund, the state university permanent fund, and the state reclamation revolving account shall be allocated to their respective beneficiary accounts.

(b) Any state agency that has independent authority over accounts or funds not statutorily required to be held in the state treasury that deposits funds into a fund or account in the state treasury pursuant to an agreement with the office of the state treasurer shall receive its proportionate share of earnings based upon each account's or fund's average daily balance for the period.

(5) In conformance with Article II, section 37 of the state Constitution, no treasury accounts or funds shall be allocated earnings without the specific affirmative directive of this section.

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