AN ACT Relating to the Washington state housing finance commission; amending RCW 43.180.020; and adding new sections to chapter 43.180 RCW.

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

Sec. 1. Section 2, chapter 161, Laws of 1983 and RCW 43.180.020 are each amended to read as follows:

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter.

(1) "Bonds" means the bonds, notes, or other evidences of indebtedness of the commission, the interest paid on which may or may not qualify for tax exemption.

(2) "Code" means the federal internal revenue code of 1954, as now or hereafter amended, and the regulations and rulings promulgated thereunder.

(3) "Commission" means the Washington state housing finance commission or any board, body, commission, department, or officer succeeding to the principal functions thereof or to whom the powers conferred upon the commission shall be given by law.

(4) "Costs of housing" means all costs related to the development, design, acquisition, construction, reconstruction, leasing, rehabilitation, and other improvements of housing, as determined by the commission.

(5) "Eligible person" means a person or family eligible in accordance with standards promulgated by the commission. Such persons shall include those persons whose income is insufficient to obtain at a reasonable cost, without financial assistance, decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the area in which the person or family resides, and may include such other persons whom the commission determines to be eligible.

(6) "Housing" means specific new, existing, or improved residential dwellings within this state or dwellings to be constructed within this state. The term includes land, buildings, and manufactured dwellings, and improvements, furnishings, and equipment, and such other nonhousing facilities, furnishings, equipment, and costs as may be incidental or appurtenant thereto if in the judgment of the commission the facilities, furnishings, equipment and costs are an integral part of the project. Housing may consist of single-family or multifamily dwellings in one or more structures located on contiguous or noncontiguous parcels or any combination thereof. Improvements may include such equipment and materials as are appropriate to accomplish energy efficiency within a dwelling. The term also includes a dwelling constructed by a person who occupies and owns the dwelling, and nursing homes licensed under chapter 18.51 RCW.

(7) "Mortgage" means a mortgage, mortgage deed, deed of trust, security agreement, or other instrument securing a mortgage loan and constituting a lien on or security interest in housing. The property may be held in fee simple or on a leasehold under a lease having a remaining term, at the time the mortgage is acquired, of not less than the term of repayment of the mortgage loan secured by the mortgage. The property may also be housing which is evidenced by an interest in a cooperative association or corporation if ownership of the interest entitles the owner of the interest to occupancy of a dwelling owned by the association or corporation.

(8) "Mortgage lender" means any of the following entities which customarily provide service or otherwise aid in the financing of housing and which are approved as a mortgage lender by the commission: A bank, trust company, savings bank, national banking association, savings and loan association, building and loan association, mortgage banker, mortgage company, credit union, life insurance company, or any other financial institution, governmental agency, municipal corporation, or any holding company for any of the entities specified in this subsection.

(9) "Mortgage loan" means an interest-bearing loan or a participation therein, made to a borrower, for the purpose of financing the costs of housing, evidenced by a promissory note, and which may or may not be secured (a) under a mortgage agreement, (b) under any other security agreement, regardless of whether the collateral is personal or real property, or (c) by insurance or a loan guarantee of a third party. However, an unsecured loan shall not be considered a mortgage loan under this definition unless the amount of the loan is under two thousand five hundred dollars.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. As used in sections 3 through 9 of this act, the following terms have the meanings indicated unless the context clearly requires otherwise.

(1) "Construction" or "construct" means construction and acquisition, whether by device, purchase, gift, lease, or otherwise.

(2) "Facilities" means land, rights in land, buildings, structures, equipment, landscaping, utilities, approaches, roadways and parking, handling and storage areas, and similar ancillary facilities.

(3) "Financing document" means a lease, sublease, installment sale agreement, conditional sale agreement, loan agreement, mortgage, deed of trust guaranty agreement, or other agreement for the purpose of providing funds to pay or secure debt service on revenue bonds.

(4) "Improvement" means reconstruction, remodeling, rehabilitation, extension, and enlargement. "To improve" means to reconstruct, to remodel, to rehabilitate, to extend, and to enlarge.

(5) "Nonprofit corporation" means a nonprofit corporation described under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or similar successor provisions.

(6) "Nonprofit facilities" means facilities owned or used by a nonprofit corporation for any nonprofit activity described under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code that qualifies such a corporation for an exemption from federal income taxes under section 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code, or similar successor provisions provided that facilities which may be funded pursuant to chapter 28B.07, 35.82, 43.180, or 70.37 RCW shall not be included in this definition.

(7) "Project costs" means costs of (a) acquisition, construction, and improvement of any facilities included in a nonprofit facility; (b) architectural, engineering, consulting, accounting, and legal costs related directly to the development, financing, and construction of a nonprofit facility, including costs of studies assessing the feasibility of a nonprofit facility; (c) finance costs, including discounts, if any, the costs of issuing revenue bonds, and costs incurred in carrying out any trust agreement; (d) interest during construction and during the six months after estimated completion of construction, and capitalized debt service or repair and replacement or other appropriate reserves; (e) the refunding of any outstanding obligations incurred for any of the costs outlined in this subsection; and (f) other costs incidental to any of the costs listed in this section.

(8) "Revenue bond" means a taxable or tax-exempt nonrecourse revenue bond, nonrecourse revenue note, or other nonrecourse revenue obligation issued for the purpose of providing financing to a nonprofit corporation on an interim or permanent basis.

(9) "User" means one or more persons acting as lessee, purchaser, mortgagor, or borrower under a financing document and may include a party who transfers the right of use and occupancy to another party by lease, sublease, or otherwise.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. The commission has the following powers with respect to nonprofit facilities together with all powers incidental thereto or necessary for the performance thereof:

(1) To make secured loans to nonprofit corporations for the purpose of providing temporary or permanent financing or refinancing of all or part of the project cost of any nonprofit facility, including the refunding of any outstanding obligations, mortgages, or advances issued, made, or given by any person for the project costs of a nonprofit corporation; and to charge and collect interest on the loans for the loan payments upon such terms and conditions as its commissioners consider advisable which are not in conflict with this subchapter;

(2) To issue revenue bonds for the purpose of financing all or part of the project cost of any nonprofit facility and to secure the payment of the revenue bonds as provided in this subchapter;

(3) To collect fees or charges from users or prospective users of nonprofit facilities to recover actual or anticipated administrative costs;

(4) To execute financing documents incidental to the powers enumerated in this section;

(5) To accept grants and gifts;

(6) To establish such special funds with any financial institution providing fiduciary services within or without the state as it deems necessary and appropriate and invest money therein.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. (1) The proceeds of the revenue bonds of each issue shall be used solely for the purposes set forth in this subchapter and shall be disbursed in such manner and under such restrictions, if any, provided in the resolution authorizing the issuance of the revenue bonds or in the trust agreement securing the bonds. If the proceeds of the revenue bonds of any series issued with respect to the cost of any nonprofit facility exceeds the cost of the nonprofit facility for which issued, the surplus shall be deposited to the credit of the debt service fund for the revenue bonds or used to purchase the revenue bonds in the open market.

(2) The commission may issue interim notes in the manner provided for the issuance of revenue bonds to fund nonprofit facilities prior to issuing other revenue bonds to fund such facilities. The commission may issue revenue bonds to fund nonprofit facilities that are exchangeable for other revenue bonds, when these other revenue bonds are executed and available for delivery.

(3) The principal of and interest on any revenue bonds issued by the commission shall be secured by a pledge of unexpended bond proceeds and the revenues and receipts derived from the nonprofit facilities funded by the revenue bonds pursuant to financing documents. The resolution under which the revenue bonds are authorized to be issued and any financing document may contain agreements and provisions respecting the maintenance or use of the nonprofit facility covered thereby, the fixing and collection of rents, purchase price payments or loan payments, the creation and maintenance of special funds from such revenues or from revenue bond proceeds, the rights and remedies available in the event of default, and other provisions relating to the security for the bonds, all as the commission considers advisable which are not in conflict with this subchapter.

(4) All revenue bonds issued under this subchapter and any interest coupons applicable thereto are negotiable instruments within the meaning of Article 8 of the uniform commercial code, Title 62A RCW, regardless of form or character.

(5) Notwithstanding subsection (1) of this section, such bonds and interim notes may be issued and sold in accordance with chapter 39.46 RCW.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. The commission may provide by resolution for the issuance of revenue refunding bonds for the purpose of refunding any obligations issued for a nonprofit facility, including the payment of any redemption premium thereon and any interest accrued or to accrue to the date of redemption or maturity of the revenue bonds and, if considered advisable by the commission, for the additional purpose of financing improvements, extensions, or enlargements to the nonprofit facility for another nonprofit facility. The issuance of the revenue refunding bonds, the maturities and other details thereof, the rights of the owners thereof, and the rights, duties, and obligations of the commission in respect to the same shall be governed by this chapter insofar as applicable.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. Any bonds issued under this subchapter may be secured by a trust agreement between the commission and a corporate trustee, which may be any trust company or bank having the powers of a trust company within or without the state. The trust agreement may evidence a pledge or assignment of the financing documents and lease, sale, or loan revenues to be received from a lessee or purchaser of or borrower with respect to a nonprofit facility for the payment of principal of and interest and any premium on the bonds as the same shall become due and payable and may provide for creation and maintenance of reserves for these purposes. A trust agreement or resolution providing for the issuance of the revenue bonds may contain such provisions for protecting and enforcing the rights and remedies of the bondowners as may be reasonable and proper and not in violation of law, including covenants setting forth the duties in relation to the acquisition of property and the construction, improvement, maintenance, use, repair, operation, and insurance of the nonprofit facility for which the bonds are authorized, and the custody, safeguarding, and application of all money. Any bank or trust company incorporated under the laws of the state which may act as depository of the proceeds of revenue bonds or of revenues may furnish such indemnifying bonds or pledge such securities as may be required by the commission. A trust agreement may set forth the rights and remedies of the bondowners and of the trustee and may restrict the individual right of action by bondowners as is customary in trust agreements or trust indentures securing bonds and debentures of private corporations. In addition, a trust agreement may contain such provisions as the commission considers reasonable and proper for the security of the bondowners which are not in conflict with this subchapter.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 7. A lessee or contracting party under a sale contract or loan agreement shall not be required to be the eventual user of a nonprofit facility if any sublessee or assignee assumes all of the obligations of the lessee or contracting party under the lease, sale contract, or loan agreement, but the lessee or contracting party or their successors shall remain primarily liable for all of its obligations under the lease, sale contract, or loan agreement and the use of the nonprofit facility shall be consistent with the purposes of this subchapter.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 8. The proceedings authorizing any revenue bonds under this subchapter or any financing document securing the revenue bonds may provide that if there is a default in the payment of the principal of or the interest on the bonds or in the performance of any agreement contained in the proceedings or financing document, the payment and performance may be enforced by mandamus or by the appointment of a receiver in equity with power to charge and collect rents, purchase price payments, and loan repayments, and to apply the revenues from the nonprofit facility in accordance with the proceedings or provisions of the financing document. Any financing document entered into under this subchapter may also provide that if there is a default in the payment thereof or a violation of any agreement contained in the financing document, the nonprofit facility may be foreclosed and sold under proceedings in equity or in any other manner now or hereafter permitted by law. Any financing document may also provide that any trustee under the financing document or the holder of any revenue bonds secured thereby may become the purchaser at any foreclosure sale if it is the highest bidder.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 9. The Washington state housing finance commission shall be the sole issuer of revenue bonds for facilities owned and operated by nonprofit corporations in the state except for revenue bonds to finance such facilities issued by the Washington health care facilities authority established by chapter 70.37 RCW, or the Washington higher education facilities authority established by chapter 28B.07 RCW.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 10. Sections 2 through 9 of this act shall be added to chapter 43.180 RCW and codified with the subchapter heading of "Nonprofit corporation facilities."