S-3617.3  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 6538

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      56th Legislature     2000 Regular Session

By Senators Benton, Oke, Rossi, Roach, Morton, Sheahan, Honeyford, Zarelli, Horn, West, Hochstatter, Swecker, Stevens, Johnson, Hale and Deccio

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

Creating and funding the state highway construction congestion relief account.

    AN ACT Relating to traffic congestion; amending RCW 82.08.020; adding a new section to chapter 82.08 RCW; and making an appropriation.

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

    Sec. 1.  RCW 82.08.020 and 1998 c 321 s 36 (Referendum Bill No. 49) are each amended to read as follows:

    (1) There is levied and there shall be collected a tax on each retail sale in this state equal to six and five-tenths percent of the selling price.

    (2) There is levied and there shall be collected an additional tax on each retail car rental, regardless of whether the vehicle is licensed in this state, equal to five and nine-tenths percent of the selling price.  The revenue collected under this subsection shall be deposited ((and distributed in the same manner as motor vehicle excise tax revenue collected under RCW 82.44.020(1))) into the state highway construction congestion relief account under section 2 of this act.

    (3) The taxes imposed under this chapter shall apply to successive retail sales of the same property.

    (4) The rates provided in this section apply to taxes imposed under chapter 82.12 RCW as provided in RCW 82.12.020.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 82.08 RCW to read as follows:

    The state highway construction congestion relief account is created in the treasury within the transportation fund.  All receipts from RCW 82.08.020(2) must be deposited into the account.  Moneys in the account may be spent only after appropriation.  Expenditures from the account may be used only for projects designed to reduce state highway congestion.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.  The sum of forty-five million dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the biennium ending June 30, 2001, from the state patrol account to the state highway construction congestion relief account created under section 2 of this act, for the purposes of section 2 of this act.

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