SENATE BILL REPORT

SB 6460

As Passed Senate, February 16, 2002

Title:  An act relating to funding local government research services.

Brief Description:  Funding local government research services.

Sponsors:  Senators Haugen and Horn.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  State & Local Government:  1/30/02, 1/31/02 [DP].

Passed Senate:  2/16/02, 42-0.

SENATE COMMITTEE ON STATE & LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Majority Report:  Do pass.

Signed by Senators Gardner, Chair; Fairley, Vice Chair; Hale, Horn, Keiser, Kline, McCaslin and Swecker.

Staff:  Mac Nicholson (786‑7445)

Background:  Each quarter the Office of the State Treasurer distributes money from the liquor revolving and excise tax funds to the counties, incorporated cities, and towns of Washington State.  Part of those distributions are transferred into special accounts created specifically for county research services and city and town research services.  Currently, the accounts must have a zero cash balance at the end of each quarter in order to receive the next quarter's full allotment.  Because of accounts receivable and the timing of other expenditures, the cash balance may not be zero at the end of each quarter; thus, the full quarterly allotment may not be transferred to the research services accounts.

Summary of Bill:  The treasurer must distribute the full quarterly allotment to the research services accounts, regardless of any cash balance.  All unobligated monies remaining in the accounts at the end of the fiscal biennium must be distributed by the treasurer to the counties, incorporated cities, and towns of the state in the same manner as the distribution from the liquor excise tax fund and the liquor revolving fund.

The months during which the treasurer must distribute liquor revolving funds into the city and town research services account are changed to June, September, December, and March (rather than July, October, January, and April).

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  This bill is just a technical fix that ensures that county and city research services receive the full allotment from the liquor revolving fund and excise tax every quarter.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Richard Yukubousky, Municipal Research and Services Center; Wendy Weeks, State Treasurer's Office.