H-1671              _______________________________________________

                                          SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL NO. 1340

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                               51st Legislature                              1989 Regular Session

By House Committee on Revenue (originally sponsored by Representatives Pruitt, Prince and McLean)

Read first time 2/15/89.

AN ACT Relating to qualifications for persons assessing real property; and amending RCW 36.21.015.

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

        Sec. 1.  Section 1, chapter 27, Laws of 1971 ex. sess. as last amended by section 30, chapter 75, Laws of 1977 and RCW 36.21.015 are each amended to read as follows:

          Any person having the responsibility of valuing real property for purposes of taxation including persons acting as assistants or deputies to a county assessor under RCW 36.21.011 as now or hereafter amended, shall have first:

          (1) ((Graduated from an accredited high school or passed a high school equivalency examination;

          (2))) Had at least one year of experience in transactions involving real property, in appraisal of real property, or in assessment of real property, or at least one year of experience in a combination of the three;

          (((3))) (2) Become knowledgeable in repair and remodeling of buildings and improvement of land, and in the significance of locality and area to the value of real property; and

          (((4))) (3) Become knowledgeable in the standards for appraising property set forth by the department of revenue.

          The department of ((personnel shall prepare with the advice of the department of)) revenue shall prepare and administer an examination on the subjects of subsections (((3) and (4))) (2) and (3) of this section, and no person shall assess real property for purposes of taxation without having passed said examination or having met minimum educational requirements specified by department of revenue rule.  A person ((passing said examination)) meeting these requirements shall be certified ((accordingly)) by the ((director of the)) department of ((personnel:  PROVIDED, HOWEVER, That)) revenue.

This section shall not apply to any person who shall have either:

          (((1)))  Been certified as a real property appraiser by the department of personnel prior to May 21, 1971; or

          (((2))) Attended and satisfactorily completed the assessor's school operated jointly by the department of revenue and the Washington state assessors association prior to August 9, 1971.