S-4431               _______________________________________________

                                                   SENATE BILL NO. 6695

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                               51st Legislature                              1990 Regular Session

By Senators Patterson and Nelson

Read first time 1/22/90 and referred to Committee on  Transportation.

AN ACT Relating to refunds for urban transportation systems; and amending RCW 82.36.275 and 82.38.080.

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

        Sec. 1.  Section 82.36.275, chapter 15, Laws of 1961 as last amended by section 27, chapter 281, Laws of 1969 ex. sess. and RCW 82.36.275 are each amended to read as follows:

          Notwithstanding RCW 82.36.240, every urban passenger transportation system shall receive a refund of the amount of the motor vehicle fuel tax paid on each gallon of motor vehicle fuel used, whether such vehicle fuel tax has been paid either directly to the vendor from whom the motor vehicle fuel was purchased or indirectly by adding the amount of such tax to the price of such fuel.

          For the purposes of this section "urban passenger transportation system" means every privately owned transportation system, ((publicly or privately owned,)) having as its principal source of revenue the income from transporting persons for compensation by means of motor vehicles and/or trackless trolleys, each having a seating capacity for over fifteen persons, over prescribed routes in such a manner that the routes of such motor vehicles and/or trackless trolleys (either alone or in conjunction with routes of other such motor vehicles and/or trackless trolleys subject to routing by the same transportation system) do not extend for a distance exceeding fifteen road miles beyond the corporate limits of the city in which the original starting points of such motor vehicles are located:  PROVIDED, That no refunds authorized by this section shall be granted on fuel used by any urban transportation vehicle on any trip where any portion of said trip is more than fifteen road miles beyond the corporate limits of the city in which said trip originated.

        Sec. 2.  Section 1, chapter 42, Laws of 1973 as last amended by section 4, chapter 108, Laws of 1983 and RCW 82.38.080 are each amended to read as follows:

          There is exempted from the tax imposed by this chapter, the use of fuel for:  (1) street and highway construction and maintenance purposes in motor vehicles owned and operated by the state of Washington, or any county or municipality; (2) publicly owned fire fighting equipment; (3) special mobile equipment as defined in RCW 46.04.552; (4) power pumping units or other power take-off equipment of any motor vehicle which is accurately measured by metering devices that have been specifically approved by the department or which is established by either of the following formulae:  (a) pumping propane, or fuel or heating oils by a power take-off unit on a delivery truck, at the rate of three-fourths of one gallon for each one thousand gallons of fuel delivered:  PROVIDED, That claimant when presenting his claim to the department in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, shall provide to said claim, invoices of propane, or fuel or heating oil delivered, or such other appropriate information as may be required by the department to substantiate his claim; or (b) operating a power take-off unit on a cement mixer truck or a load compactor on a garbage truck at the rate of twenty-five percent of the total gallons of fuel used in such a truck; (5) motor vehicles owned and operated by the United States government; (6) heating purposes; (7) moving a motor vehicle on a public highway between two pieces of private property when said moving is incidental to the primary use of the motor vehicle; (8) transit services for only elderly or handicapped persons, or both, by a private, nonprofit transportation provider certified under chapter 81.66 RCW; and (9) notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, every urban passenger transportation system and carriers as defined by chapters 81.68 and 81.70 RCW shall be exempt from the provisions of this chapter requiring the payment of special fuel taxes.  For the purposes of this section "urban passenger transportation system" means every privately owned transportation system, ((publicly or privately owned,)) having as its principal source of revenue the income from transporting persons for compensation by means of motor vehicles and/or trackless trolleys, each having a seating capacity for over fifteen persons over prescribed routes in such a manner that the routes of such motor vehicles and/or trackless trolleys, either alone or in conjunction with routes of other such motor vehicles and/or trackless trolleys subject to routing by the same transportation system, shall not extend for a distance exceeding twenty-five road miles beyond the corporate limits of the county in which the original starting points of such motor vehicles are located:  PROVIDED, That no refunds or credits shall be granted on fuel used by any urban transportation vehicle or vehicle operated pursuant to chapters 81.68 and 81.70 RCW on any trip where any portion of said trip is more than twenty-five road miles beyond the corporate limits of the county in which said trip originated.