VETO MESSAGE ON HB 1212-S

                   May 7, 1999

To the Honorable Speaker and Members,

  The House of Representatives of the State of Washington

Ladies and Gentlemen:

     I am returning herewith, without my approval as to section 2, Substitute House Bill No. 1212 entitled:

"AN ACT Relating to the extension of the validity of a driver's license that expires while the driver is outside the state or where the driver is a spouse or dependent child of a member of the armed forces;"

     Section 2 of Substitute House Bill No. 1212 would require that driver's licenses that are renewed by mail be labeled "not valid for identification purposes".  However, Substitute House Bill No. 1294, which I signed on March 30, 1999, repealed the statute amended by section 2.  Accordingly, section 2 is superfluous.  Without this veto, the Code Reviser would be required to annotate RCW 46.20.116 indicating that the legislature both repealed and amended the same statute during its 1999 session.  The legislature's intent would be unclear.

     The concept of labeling driver's licenses as not valid for identification purposes when the Department of Licensing cannot take a current photograph was covered in SHB 1294, and will be law.  This partial veto is purely ministerial.

     For these reasons, I have vetoed section 2 of Substitute House Bill No. 1212.

     With the exception of section 2, Substitute House Bill No. 1212 is approved.

                   Respectfully submitted,

                   Gary Locke

                   Governor