Title: An act relating to parking places for persons with disabilities.

Brief Description: Revising marking requirements for parking places for persons with disabilities.

Sponsors: House Committee on Transportation (originally sponsored by Representatives Wallace, Woods, Simpson, Morrell, Lovick, Flannigan, Chase, Moeller and Kilmer).

Brief History: Passed House: 3/11/05, 93-0.

Committee Activity: Transportation: 3/28/05 [DPA, w/oRec].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION

Majority Report: Do pass as amended.Signed by Senators Haugen, Chair; Jacobsen, Vice Chair; Poulsen, Vice Chair; Swecker, Ranking Minority Member; Esser, Kastama, Oke, Spanel and Weinstein.

Minority Report: That it be referred without recommendation.Signed by Senator Mulliken.

Staff: Kimberly Johnson (786-7346)

Background: Under current law, the Code Reviser must avoid references to certain words that have been frequently used to describe individuals with disabilities. The specific terms are: disabled, developmentally disabled, mentally disabled, mentally retarded, handicapped, cripple and crippled. The terms must be avoided in future laws as well as replaced in existing statutes as those statutes are amended by law. The replacement terms are: "individuals with disabilities," "individuals with developmental disabilities," "individuals with mental retardation." Signs marking parking spaces for individuals with disabilities are required to display the universal symbol of access and to be marked with the phrase "State disabled parking permit required."

Summary of Amended Bill: The requirement that a sign for parking spaces for individuals with disabilities include the phrase "State disabled parking permit required" is removed. The requirement that a sign be a specified height off of the ground is also removed.

An accessible space may be indicated by a sign or a marking.

Signs marking accessible parking spaces may include additional language, including but not limited to, notice of the amount of a monetary penalty that may be assessed for parking in the space without a valid permit.

Various statutory reference to "disabled persons" are changed to refer to "persons with disabilities."

Amended Bill Compared to Original Bill: The requirement that a sign be a specified height off of the ground is removed. An accessible parking space may be marked by a sign or a marking.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Not requested.

Committee/Commission/Task Force Created: No.

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

Testimony For: None.

Testimony Against: None.

Who Testified: No one.