Z-0870.5  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 6553

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      56th Legislature     2000 Regular Session

By Senators Thibaudeau, Deccio, Prentice and Winsley; by request of Washington Health Care Facilities Authority

Read first time 01/19/2000.  Referred to Committee on Health & Long‑Term Care.

Modifying the definition of health care facility in the authority statute to include public health facilities.

    AN ACT Relating to public health facilities; and amending RCW 70.37.020.

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

    Sec. 1.  RCW 70.37.020 and 1994 c 92 s 505 are each amended to read as follows:

    As used in this chapter, the following words and terms have the following meanings, unless the context indicates or requires another or different meaning or intent and the singular of any term shall encompass the plural and the plural the singular unless the context indicates otherwise:

    (1) "Authority" means the Washington health care facilities authority created by RCW 70.37.030 or any board, body, commission, department or officer succeeding to the principal functions thereof or to whom the powers conferred upon the authority shall be given by law.

    (2) "Bonds" mean bonds, notes or other evidences of indebtedness of the authority issued pursuant hereto.

    (3) "Health care facility" means any land, structure, system, machinery, equipment or other real or personal property or appurtenances useful for or associated with the promotion and maintenance of public health as defined in RCW 70.38.025(12), the delivery of inpatient or outpatient health care service or support for such care or any combination thereof which is operated or undertaken in connection with hospital, clinic, health maintenance organization, diagnostic or treatment center, extended care facility, or any facility providing or designed to provide therapeutic, convalescent or preventive health care or public health services, and shall include research and support facilities of a comprehensive cancer center, but excluding, however, any facility which is maintained by a participant primarily for rental or lease to self-employed health care professionals or as an independent nursing home or other facility primarily offering domiciliary care.

    (4) "Participant" means any city, county or other municipal corporation or agency or political subdivision of the state or any corporation, hospital, comprehensive cancer center, or health maintenance organization authorized by law to operate nonprofit health care facilities, or any affiliate, as defined by regulations promulgated by the director of the department of financial institutions pursuant to RCW 21.20.450, which is a nonprofit corporation acting for the benefit of any entity described in this subsection.

    (5) "Project" means a specific health care facility or any combination of health care facilities, constructed, purchased, acquired, leased, used, owned or operated by a participant, and alterations, additions to, renovations, enlargements, betterments and reconstructions thereof.

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