S-4104               _______________________________________________

                                                   SENATE BILL NO. 4965

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              49th Legislature                              1986 Regular Session

By Senators Moore, Granlund, Vognild and Peterson

Read first time 1/24/86 and referred to Committee on Financial Institutions.

AN ACT Relating to insurance; and amending RCW 48.30.300.

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

        Sec. 1.  Section 7, chapter 119, Laws of 1975-'76 2nd ex. sess. and RCW 48.30.300 are each  amended to read as follows:

          No person or entity engaged in the business of insurance in this state shall refuse to issue any contract of insurance or cancel or decline to renew such contract because of the sex, race, creed, color, national origin, or marital status, or the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical handicap of the insured or prospective insured.  The amount of benefits payable, or any term, rate, condition, or type of coverage shall not be restricted, modified, excluded, increased or reduced on the basis of the sex, race, creed, color, national origin, or marital status, or be restricted, modified, excluded or reduced on the basis of the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical handicap of the insured or prospective insured.  These provisions shall not prohibit fair discrimination on the basis of sex, or marital status, or the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical handicap when bona fide statistical differences in risk or exposure have been substantiated.