Brief Description: Revising funding of the archives division.

Sponsors: Senate Committee on Ways & Means (originally sponsored by Senators Roach, Hale, Horn, Stevens and Haugen; by request of Secretary of State).

Hearing Date: 3/27/03

Staff: Marsha Reilly (786-7135).

Background:

The Division of Archives and Records Management (Division) was created in the Office of the Secretary of State (Secretary of State) in 1981 to ensure the proper management and safeguarding of public records. The State Archivist administers the Division. Historical records of state government are collected, preserved, and made available at the archives' main Olympia office. Historical records of local governments are collected, preserved, and made available at five regional branch archive facilities. The regional branch archive facilities are located in Bellevue, Bellingham, Cheney, Ellensburg, and Olympia.

A schedule of fees and charges governing the service provided by the Division to other state agencies, offices, departments, and other entities is established by the Secretary of State and the Director of the Office of Financial Management. All such fees and charges collected are deposited in the archives and records management account in the state treasury, and are appropriated exclusively for use by the Secretary of State for the payment of costs and expenses incurred in the operation of the Division.

In 1994 state agencies were authorized to collect a surcharge of $20 from the judgement debtor upon satisfaction of a warrant filed in superior court for unpaid taxes or liabilities. The surcharge revenue is deposited in the archives and records management account and is expended exclusively for disaster recovery, essential records protection services, and records management training for local government agencies by the Division.

County auditors are authorized to collect a surcharge of $1 per instrument for each document recorded. The surcharge revenue collected is deposited in the archives and records management account and is expended exclusively for providing records scheduling, security microfilm inspection and storage, archival preservation, cataloging, and indexing for local government records and digital data and access to those records and data through the regional branch archives of the Division.

Beginning on January 1, 2002, county auditors were authorized to collect a second $1 surcharge for each document recorded. Revenue from this surcharge is used exclusively to pay for the construction of a new Eastern Washington Regional Archives. Once all debt on the Eastern Washington Regional Archives is retired, half of the revenue from the second $1 surcharge goes to counties for their centennial document fund and half is retained by the Secretary of State to support local government archives and records activities.

Summary of Bill:

The Imaging Account is created. The Imaging Account is for fees collected and payment of costs and expenses incurred for microfilming, contract imaging, micrographics, reproduction, and duplication services provided by the Division of Archives. An appropriation is not required for expenditures, however the account is subject to allotment procedures.

The Local Government Archives Account (Archives Account) is created. The Archives Account is for fees and charges collected and payment of costs and expenses incurred for records scheduling, security microfilm inspection and storage, archival preservation, cataloging, and indexing for local government records and digital data and access to those records and data through the regional branch archives of the Division of Archives and Records Management. An appropriation is required for expenditures. Monies currently collected by county auditors from judgment debtor surcharges and document copying surcharges are redirected to the local government archives account.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Not Requested.

Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.