AN ACT Relating to utilities and transportation commission reporting requirements; and amending RCW 80.04.080, 81.04.080, and 80.04.320.

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

Sec. 1. Section 80.04.080, chapter 14, Laws of 1961 and RCW 80.04.080 are each amended to read as follows:

Every public service company shall annually furnish to the commission a report in such form as the commission may require, and shall specifically answer all questions propounded to it by the commission, upon or concerning which the commission may need information. Such annual reports shall show in detail the amount of capital stock issued, the amounts paid therefor and the manner of payment for same, the dividends paid, the surplus fund, if any, and the number of stockholders, the funded and floating debts and the interest paid thereon, the cost and value of the company's property, franchises and equipment, the number of employees and the salaries paid each class, the accidents to employees and other persons and the cost thereof, the amounts expended for improvements each year, how expended and the character of such improvements, the earnings or receipts from each franchise or business and from all sources, the proportion thereof earned from business moving wholly within the state and the proportion earned from interstate business, the operating and other expenses and the proportion of such expense incurred in transacting business wholly within the state, and proportion incurred in transacting interstate business, such division to be shown according to such rules of division as the commission may prescribe, the balances of profit and loss, and a complete exhibit of the financial operations of the company each year, including an annual balance sheet. Such report shall also contain such information in relation to rates, charges or regulations concerning charges, or agreements, arrangements or contracts affecting the same, as the commission may require; and the commission may, in its discretion, for the purpose of enabling it the better to carry out the provisions of this title, prescribe the period of time within which all public service companies subject to the provisions of this title shall have, as near as may be, a uniform system of accounts, and the manner in which such accounts shall be kept. Such detailed report shall contain all the required statistics for the period of twelve months ending on the last day of any particular month prescribed by the commission for any public service company. Such reports shall be made out under oath and filed with the commission at its office in Olympia ((~~within three months after the close of the designated year for which such report is made~~)) on such date as the commission specifies by rule, unless additional time be granted in any case by the commission. The commission shall have authority to require any public service company to file monthly reports of earnings and expenses, and to file periodical or special, or both periodical and special, reports concerning any matter about which the commission is authorized or required by this or any other law, to inquire into or keep itself informed about, or which it is required to enforce, such periodical or special reports to be under oath whenever the commission so requires.

Sec. 2. Section 81.04.080, chapter 14, Laws of 1961 and RCW 81.04.080 are each amended to read as follows:

Every public service company shall annually furnish to the commission a report in such form as the commission may require, and shall specifically answer all questions propounded to it by the commission, upon or concerning which the commission may need information. Such annual reports shall show in detail the amount of capital stock issued, the amounts paid therefor and the manner of payment for same, the dividends paid, the surplus fund, if any, and the number of stockholders, the funded and floating debts and the interest paid thereon, the cost and value of the company's property, franchises and equipment, the number of employees and the salaries paid each class, the accidents to passengers, employees and other persons and the cost thereof, the amounts expended for improvements each year, how expended and the character of such improvements, the earnings or receipts from each franchise or business and from all sources, the proportion thereof earned from business moving wholly within the state and the proportion earned from interstate traffic, the nature of the traffic movement showing the percentage of the ton miles each class of commodity bears to the total ton mileage, the operating and other expenses and the proportion of such expense incurred in transacting business wholly within the state, and the proportion incurred in transacting interstate business, such division to be shown according to such rules of division as the commission may prescribe, the balances of profit and loss, and a complete exhibit of the financial operations of the carrier each year, including an annual balance sheet. Such report shall also contain such information in relation to rates, charges or regulations concerning fares, charges or freights, or agreements, arrangements or contracts affecting the same, as the commission may require; and the commission may, in its discretion, for the purpose of enabling it the better to carry out the provisions of this title, prescribe the period of time within which all public service companies subject to the provisions of this title shall have, as near as may be, a uniform system of accounts, and the manner in which such accounts shall be kept. Such detailed report shall contain all the required statistics for the period of twelve months ending on the last day of any particular month prescribed by the commission for any public service company. Such reports shall be made out under oath and filed with the commission at its office in Olympia ((~~within three months after the close of the designated year for which such report is made~~)) on such date as the commission specifies by rule, unless additional time be granted in any case by the commission. The commission shall have authority to require any public service company to file monthly reports of earnings and expenses, and to file periodical or special, or both periodical and special, reports concerning any matter about which the commission is authorized or required by this or any other law, to inquire into or keep itself informed about, or which it is required to enforce, such periodical or special reports to be under oath whenever the commission so requires.

Sec. 3. Section 80.04.320, chapter 14, Laws of 1961 and RCW 80.04.320 are each amended to read as follows:

The commission may prescribe the necessary rules ((~~and regulations~~)) to place RCW 80.04.300 through 80.04.330 in operation. It may, by ((~~general order~~)) rule, establish criteria to exempt companies in whole or in part from the operation thereof ((~~companies whose gross operating revenues are less than twenty-five thousand dollars a year~~)). The commission may upon request of any company withhold from publication during such time as the commission may deem advisable any portion of any original or supplementary budget relating to proposed capital expenditures.