FINAL BILL REPORT

SHB 1259

                                   C 41 L 89

BYHouse Committee on Local Government (originally sponsored by Representatives Scott, Cole, Heavey, Padden, Crane, P. King, R. Meyers, Belcher, Schmidt, Moyer, Tate, Patrick, Anderson, Jacobsen, Kremen, Todd, G. Fisher, Doty, Winsley, Baugher and Silver)

Exempting guide and service dogs from local license fees.

House Committe on Local Government

Senate Committee on Governmental Operations

SYNOPSIS AS ENACTED

BACKGROUND:

State law provides that a totally or partially blind, hearing impaired, or physically disabled person has the right to be accompanied by a guide dog or service dog on common carriers, airplanes, railroad trains, motor buses, street cars, all other public conveyances, hotels, places of lodging, places of public resort, accommodation, assemblage or amusement, and all other places to which the general public is invited.

A guide dog is defined in law as a dog in working harness that has been trained or approved by an accredited school for the purpose of guiding blind persons or assisting hearing impaired persons.  A service dog is defined in law as a dog that has been trained or approved by an accredited school for the purposes of assisting or accommodating a physically disabled person related to the person's physical disability.

Counties, cities and towns are authorized to license dogs.

SUMMARY:

A county, city or town must honor a request from a blind person or a hearing impaired person to not pay a dog license fee for his or her guide dog.  A county, city or town must honor a request from a physically disabled person to not pay a dog license fee for his or her service dog.

VOTES ON FINAL PASSAGE:

      House 95   0

      Senate    46     0

EFFECTIVE:July 23, 1989