H-3706.1  _______________________________________________

                          HOUSE BILL 2698

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      56th Legislature     2000 Regular Session

By Representative Dunn

Read first time 01/18/2000.  Referred to Committee on Education.

Allowing school districts to impose maintenance and operation taxes for up to ten years.

    AN ACT Relating to excess levies imposed to finance common schools; amending RCW 84.52.053; and providing a contingent effective date.

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

    Sec. 1.  RCW 84.52.053 and 1997 c 260 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

    The limitations imposed by RCW 84.52.050 through 84.52.056, and 84.52.043 shall not prevent the levy of taxes by school districts, when authorized so to do by the voters of such school district in the manner and for the purposes and number of years allowable under Article VII, section 2(a) of the Constitution of this state.  Elections for such taxes shall be held in the year in which the levy is made or, in the case of propositions authorizing two-year through ((four-year)) ten-year levies for maintenance and operation support of a school district, authorizing two-year levies for transportation vehicle funds established in RCW 28A.160.130, or authorizing two-year through six-year levies to support the construction, modernization, or remodeling of school facilities, in the year in which the first annual levy is made:  PROVIDED, That once additional tax levies have been authorized for maintenance and operation support of a school district for a two-year through ((four-year)) ten-year period, no further additional tax levies for maintenance and operation support of the district for that period may be authorized.

    A special election may be called and the time therefor fixed by the board of school directors, by giving notice thereof by publication in the manner provided by law for giving notices of general elections, at which special election the proposition authorizing such excess levy shall be submitted in such form as to enable the voters favoring the proposition to vote "yes" and those opposed thereto to vote "no".

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  This act takes effect December 1, 2000, if the proposed constitutional amendment to Article VII, section 2, of the state Constitution, allowing voters to approve excess levies for up to ten years for the support of common schools, is validly submitted to and is approved by the voters at the next general election.  If the proposed amendment is not approved and ratified, this act is void in its entirety.

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