S-4044               _______________________________________________

                                                   SENATE BILL NO. 5026

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              49th Legislature                              1986 Regular Session

By Senator Kreidler

Read first time 1/24/86 and referred to Committee on Parks & Ecology.

AN ACT Relating to hazardous waste; adding a new chapter to Title 70 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 82.04 RCW; and making an appropriation.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.     Amnesty days are authorized by the state for the purpose of allowing farmers to dispose of small quantities of hazardous waste free of charge.  Currently farmers have no appropriate economically feasible means of disposing of small amounts of hazardous waste.  Amnesty days also serve to raise public awareness on this issue, provide an educational process, accommodate the needs of farmers, and preserve the quality of the waters of the state.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.     The department of ecology shall administer and supervise amnesty days for farmers to dispose of small quantities of hazardous waste free of charge.  The department shall contract with a department-approved, bonded waste-handling company for implementation.  The waste collected shall be properly transported to a federally-approved facility.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.     The department of ecology shall establish rules to implement amnesty days, including:

          (1) Specific locations for collections;

          (2) Procedures for collection;

          (3) Maximum amounts to be collected per individual contributor;

          (4) Dates of collection;

          (5) Notification to be provided; and

          (6) Other elements deemed necessary by the department of ecology to implement this chapter.

          The department of ecology shall submit a report to the legislature on or before July 1987, on its implementation of this chapter.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.     The department may use up to five percent of the funds appropriated for amnesty days for administrative costs and up to five percent of such funds for public education related to amnesty days.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5.  A new section is added to chapter 82.04 RCW to read as follows:

          (1) In addition to any other tax imposed under this chapter and notwithstanding RCW 82.04.050(6), there is hereby levied and there shall be collected by the department of revenue from every person engaging within this state in the business of  making sales at wholesale of agricultural chemicals and/or making sales at retail of agricultural chemicals, a tax equal to the gross proceeds of sales of agricultural chemicals by the business within this state multiplied by twenty-five one-hundredths of one percent.

          (2) RCW 82.04.300 does not apply to the tax imposed in this section.

          (3) All moneys collected under this section shall be used by the department of ecology to fund amnesty days under sections 1 through 4 of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6.     There is appropriated from the general fund to the department of ecology for the biennium ending June 30, 1987, the sum of one million dollars, or so much thereof as may be necessary, to carry out the purposes of this act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 7.     Sections 1 through 4 of this act shall constitute a new chapter in Title 70 RCW.