ENGROSSED SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 6040
State of Washington | 68th Legislature | 2024 Regular Session |
BySenate State Government & Elections (originally sponsored by Senators Valdez, Keiser, Conway, Hasegawa, and Nobles)
READ FIRST TIME 01/31/24.
AN ACT Relating to prompt payment in public works; amending RCW
39.04.250; and providing an effective date.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1. RCW
39.04.250 and 1992 c 223 s 5 are each amended to read as follows:
(1)(a) When payment is received by a contractor or subcontractor for work performed on a public work, the contractor or subcontractor shall pay to any subcontractor not later than ((ten))10 days after the receipt of the payment, amounts allowed the contractor on account of the work performed by the subcontractor, to the extent of each subcontractor's interest therein.
(b)(i) The state must pay the prime contractor within 30 days for work satisfactorily completed or materials delivered by a subcontractor of any tier that is small business certified with the office of minority and women's business enterprises under chapter 39.19 RCW, or is recognized as a women or minority-owned business enterprise in a state of Washington port, county, or municipal small business or women or minority-owned business enterprise program. Within 10 days of receipt of payment, the prime contractor and each higher tier subcontractor must make payment to its subcontractor until the subcontractor that is a certified small business or recognized women or minority-owned business has received payment. (ii) For the purposes of this subsection, when a public owner has made an incremental acceptance of a portion of a prime contract, the work of a subcontractor covered by the incremental acceptance is deemed satisfactorily complete.
(2) In the event of a good faith dispute over all or any portion of the amount due on a payment from the state or a municipality to the prime contractor, or from the prime contractor or subcontractor to a subcontractor, then the state or the municipality, or the prime contractor or subcontractor, may withhold no more than ((one hundred fifty))150 percent of the disputed amount. Those not a party to a dispute are entitled to full and prompt payment of their portion of a draw, progress payment, final payment, or released retainage.
(3) In addition to all other remedies, any person from whom funds have been withheld in violation of this section shall be entitled to receive from the person wrongfully withholding the funds, for every month and portion thereof that payment including retainage is not made, interest at the highest rate allowed under RCW
19.52.025. In any action for the collection of funds wrongfully withheld, the prevailing party shall be entitled to costs of suit and reasonable attorneys' fees.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2025.
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