BILL REQ. #:  Z-0582.1 

Read first time 02/04/2003.   Referred to Committee on Transportation.

     AN ACT Relating to the Performance Registration Information Systems Management Program (PRISM); amending RCW 46.87.020 and 46.87.140; and adding new sections to chapter 46.87 RCW.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 46.87.020 and 1997 c 183 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:
     Terms used in this chapter have the meaning given to them in the International Registration Plan (IRP), the Uniform Vehicle Registration, Proration, and Reciprocity Agreement (Western Compact), chapter 46.04 RCW, or as otherwise defined in this section. Definitions given to terms by the IRP and the Western Compact, as applicable, shall prevail unless given a different meaning in this chapter or in rules adopted under authority of this chapter.
     (1) "Apportionable vehicle" has the meaning given by the IRP, except that it does not include vehicles with a declared gross weight of twelve thousand pounds or less. Apportionable vehicles include trucks, tractors, truck tractors, road tractors, and buses, each as separate and licensable vehicles. For IRP jurisdictions that require the registration of nonmotor vehicles, this term may include trailers, semitrailers, and pole trailers as applicable, each as separate and licensable vehicles.
     (2) "Cab card" is a certificate of registration issued for a vehicle by the registering jurisdiction under the Western Compact. Under the IRP, it is a certificate of registration issued by the base jurisdiction for a vehicle upon which is disclosed the jurisdictions and registered gross weights in such jurisdictions for which the vehicle is registered.
     (3) "Commercial vehicle" is a term used by the Western Compact and means any vehicle, except recreational vehicles, vehicles displaying restricted plates, and government owned or leased vehicles, that is operated and registered in more than one jurisdiction and is used or maintained for the transportation of persons for hire, compensation, or profit, or is designed, used, or maintained primarily for the transportation of property and:
     (a) Is a motor vehicle having a declared gross weight in excess of twenty-six thousand pounds; or
     (b) Is a motor vehicle having three or more axles with a declared gross weight in excess of twelve thousand pounds; or
     (c) Is a motor vehicle, trailer, pole trailer, or semitrailer used in combination when the gross weight or declared gross weight of the combination exceeds twenty-six thousand pounds combined gross weight. The nonmotor vehicles mentioned are only applicable to those jurisdictions requiring the registration of such vehicles.
     Although a two-axle motor vehicle, trailer, pole trailer, semitrailer, or any combination of such vehicles with an actual or declared gross weight or declared combined gross weight exceeding twelve thousand pounds but not more than twenty-six thousand is not considered to be a commercial vehicle, at the option of the owner, such vehicles may be considered as "commercial vehicles" for the purpose of proportional registration. The nonmotor vehicles mentioned are only applicable to those jurisdictions requiring the registration of such vehicles.
     Commercial vehicles include trucks, tractors, truck tractors, road tractors, and buses. Trailers, pole trailers, and semitrailers, will also be considered as commercial vehicles for those jurisdictions who require registration of such vehicles.
     (4) "Credentials" means cab cards, apportioned plates (for Washington-based fleets), and validation tabs issued for proportionally registered vehicles.
     (5) "Declared combined gross weight" means the total unladen weight of any combination of vehicles plus the weight of the maximum load to be carried on the combination of vehicles as set by the registrant in the application pursuant to chapter 46.44 RCW and for which registration fees have been or are to be paid.
     (6) "Declared gross weight" means the total unladen weight of any vehicle plus the weight of the maximum load to be carried on the vehicle as set by the registrant in the application pursuant to chapter 46.44 RCW and for which registration fees have been or are to be paid. In the case of a bus, auto stage, or a passenger-carrying for hire vehicle with a seating capacity of more than six, the declared gross weight shall be determined by multiplying the average load factor of one hundred and fifty pounds by the number of seats in the vehicle, including the driver's seat, and add this amount to the unladen weight of the vehicle. If the resultant gross weight is not listed in RCW 46.16.070, it will be increased to the next higher gross weight so listed pursuant to chapter 46.44 RCW.
     (7) "Department" means the department of licensing.
     (8) "Fleet" means one or more commercial vehicles in the Western Compact and one or more apportionable vehicles in the IRP.
     (9) "In-jurisdiction miles" means the total miles accumulated in a jurisdiction during the preceding year by vehicles of the fleet while they were a part of the fleet.
     (10) "IRP" means the International Registration Plan.
     (11) "Jurisdiction" means and includes a state, territory or possession of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a foreign country, and a state or province of a foreign country.
     (12) "Motor carrier" means an entity engaged in the transportation of goods or persons. The term includes a for-hire motor carrier, private motor carrier, contract motor carrier, or exempt motor carrier. The term includes a registrant licensed under this chapter, a motor vehicle lessor, and a motor vehicle lessee.
     (13) "Owner" means a person or business firm who holds the legal title to a vehicle, or if a vehicle is the subject of an agreement for its conditional sale with the right of purchase upon performance of the conditions stated in the agreement and with an immediate right of possession vested in the conditional vendee, or if a vehicle is subject to a lease, contract, or other legal arrangement vesting right of possession or control, for security or otherwise, or if a mortgagor of a vehicle is entitled to possession, then the owner is deemed to be the person or business firm in whom is vested right of possession or control.
     (((13))) (14) "Preceding year" means the period of twelve consecutive months immediately before July 1st of the year immediately before the commencement of the registration or license year for which apportioned registration is sought.
     (((14))) (15) "Properly registered," as applied to the place of registration under the provisions of the Western Compact, means:
     (a) In the case of a commercial vehicle, the jurisdiction in which it is registered if the commercial enterprise in which the vehicle is used has a place of business therein, and, if the vehicle is most frequently dispatched, garaged, serviced, maintained, operated, or otherwise controlled in or from that place of business, and the vehicle has been assigned to that place of business; or
     (b) In the case of a commercial vehicle, the jurisdiction where, because of an agreement or arrangement between two or more jurisdictions, or pursuant to a declaration, the vehicle has been registered as required by that jurisdiction.
     In case of doubt or dispute as to the proper place of registration of a commercial vehicle, the department shall make the final determination, but in making such determination, may confer with departments of the other jurisdictions affected.
     (((15))) (16) "Prorate percentage" is the factor that is applied to the total proratable fees and taxes to determine the apportionable or prorate fees required for registration in a particular jurisdiction. It is determined by dividing the in-jurisdiction miles for a particular jurisdiction by the total miles. This term is synonymous with the term "mileage percentage."
     (((16))) (17) "Registrant" means a person, business firm, or corporation in whose name or names a vehicle or fleet of vehicles is registered.
     (((17))) (18) "Registration year" means the twelve-month period during which the registration plates issued by the base jurisdiction are valid according to the laws of the base jurisdiction.
     (((18))) (19) "Total miles" means the total number of miles accumulated in all jurisdictions during the preceding year by all vehicles of the fleet while they were a part of the fleet. Mileage accumulated by vehicles of the fleet that did not engage in interstate operations is not included in the fleet miles.
     (((19))) (20) "Western Compact" means the Uniform Vehicle Registration, Proration, and Reciprocity Agreement.

Sec. 2   RCW 46.87.140 and 1997 c 183 s 5 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) Any owner engaged in interstate operations of one or more fleets of apportionable or commercial vehicles may, in lieu of registration of the vehicles under chapter 46.16 RCW, register and license the vehicles of each fleet under this chapter by filing a proportional registration application for each fleet with the department. The nonmotor vehicles of Washington-based fleets which are operated in IRP jurisdictions that require registration of such vehicles may be proportionally registered for operation in those jurisdictions as herein provided. The application shall contain the following information and such other information pertinent to vehicle registration as the department may require:
     (a) A description and identification of each vehicle of the fleet. Motor vehicles and nonpower units shall be placed in separate fleets.
     (b) If registering under the provisions of the IRP, the registrant shall also indicate member jurisdictions in which registration is desired and furnish such other information as those member jurisdictions require.
     (c) An original or renewal application shall also be accompanied by a mileage schedule for each fleet.
     (d) The USDOT number issued to the registrant and the USDOT number of the motor carrier responsible for the safety of the vehicle, if different.
     (e) A completed Motor Carrier Identification Report (MCS-150) at the time of fleet renewal or at the time of vehicle registration, if required by the department.
     (f) The Taxpayer Identification Number of the registrant and the motor carrier responsible for the safety of the vehicle, if different.
     (2) Each application shall, at the time and in the manner required by the department, be supported by payment of a fee computed as follows:
     (a) Divide the in-jurisdiction miles by the total miles and carry the answer to the nearest thousandth of a percent (three places beyond the decimal, e.g. 10.543%). This factor is known as the prorate percentage.
     (b) Determine the total proratable fees and taxes required for each vehicle in the fleet for which registration is requested, based on the regular annual fees and taxes or applicable fees and taxes for the unexpired portion of the registration year under the laws of each jurisdiction for which fees or taxes are to be calculated.
     Washington-based nonmotor vehicles shall normally be fully licensed under the provisions of chapter 46.16 RCW. If these vehicles are being operated in jurisdictions that require the registration of such vehicles, the applicable vehicles may be considered as apportionable vehicles for the purpose of registration in those jurisdictions and this state. The prorate percentage for which registration fees and taxes were paid to such jurisdictions may be credited toward the one hundred percent of registration fees and taxes due this state for full licensing. Applicable fees and taxes for vehicles of Washington-based fleets are those prescribed under RCW 46.16.070, 46.16.085, and 82.38.075, ((and 82.44.020,)) as applicable. If, during the registration period, the lessor of an apportioned vehicle changes and the vehicle remains in the fleet of the registrant, the department shall only charge those fees prescribed for the issuance of new apportioned license plates, validation tabs, and cab card.
     (c) Multiply the total, proratable fees or taxes for each motor vehicle by the prorate percentage applicable to the desired jurisdiction and round the results to the nearest cent. Fees and taxes for nonmotor vehicles being prorated will be calculated as indicated in (b) of this subsection.
     (d) Add the total fees and taxes determined in (c) of this subsection for each vehicle to the nonproratable fees required under the laws of the jurisdiction for which fees are being calculated. Nonproratable fees required for vehicles of Washington-based fleets are the administrative fee required by RCW 82.38.075, if applicable, and the vehicle transaction fee pursuant to the provisions of RCW 46.87.130.
     (e) Add the total fees and taxes determined in (d) of this subsection for each vehicle listed on the application. Assuming the fees and taxes calculated were for Washington, this would be the amount due and payable for the application under the provisions of the Western Compact. Under the provisions of the IRP, the amount due and payable for the application would be the sum of the fees and taxes referred to in (d) of this subsection, calculated for each member jurisdiction in which registration of the fleet is desired.
     (3) All assessments for proportional registration fees are due and payable in United States funds on the date presented or mailed to the registrant at the address listed in the proportional registration records of the department. The registrant may petition for reassessment of the fees or taxes due under this section within thirty days of the date of original service as provided for in this chapter.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   A new section is added to chapter 46.87 RCW to read as follows:
     The department shall refuse to register a vehicle under this chapter if the registrant or motor carrier responsible for the safety of the vehicle has been prohibited under federal law from operating by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4   A new section is added to chapter 46.87 RCW to read as follows:
     The department shall suspend or revoke the registration of a vehicle registered under this chapter if the registrant or motor carrier responsible for the safety of the vehicle has been prohibited under federal law from operating by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.