BILL REQ. #:  H-0619.1 

Read first time 01/12/2007.   Referred to Committee on Finance.

     AN ACT Relating to environmental remediation; amending RCW 82.04.190; reenacting and amending RCW 82.04.050; adding a new section to chapter 82.04 RCW; prescribing penalties; and providing an expiration date.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 82.04.050 and 2005 c 515 s 2 and 2005 c 514 s 101 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:
     (1) "Sale at retail" or "retail sale" means every sale of tangible personal property (including articles produced, fabricated, or imprinted) to all persons irrespective of the nature of their business and including, among others, without limiting the scope hereof, persons who install, repair, clean, alter, improve, construct, or decorate real or personal property of or for consumers other than a sale to a person who presents a resale certificate under RCW 82.04.470 and who:
     (a) Purchases for the purpose of resale as tangible personal property in the regular course of business without intervening use by such person, but a purchase for the purpose of resale by a regional transit authority under RCW 81.112.300 is not a sale for resale; or
     (b) Installs, repairs, cleans, alters, imprints, improves, constructs, or decorates real or personal property of or for consumers, if such tangible personal property becomes an ingredient or component of such real or personal property without intervening use by such person; or
     (c) Purchases for the purpose of consuming the property purchased in producing for sale a new article of tangible personal property or substance, of which such property becomes an ingredient or component or is a chemical used in processing, when the primary purpose of such chemical is to create a chemical reaction directly through contact with an ingredient of a new article being produced for sale; or
     (d) Purchases for the purpose of consuming the property purchased in producing ferrosilicon which is subsequently used in producing magnesium for sale, if the primary purpose of such property is to create a chemical reaction directly through contact with an ingredient of ferrosilicon; (([or])) or
     (e) Purchases for the purpose of providing the property to consumers as part of competitive telephone service, as defined in RCW 82.04.065. The term ((shall)) must include every sale of tangible personal property which is used or consumed or to be used or consumed in the performance of any activity classified as a "sale at retail" or "retail sale" even though such property is resold or utilized as provided in (a), (b), (c), (d), or (e) of this subsection following such use. The term also means every sale of tangible personal property to persons engaged in any business which is taxable under RCW 82.04.280 (2) and (7), 82.04.290, and 82.04.2908; or
     (f) Purchases for the purpose of satisfying the person's obligations under an extended warranty as defined in subsection (7) of this section, if such tangible personal property replaces or becomes an ingredient or component of property covered by the extended warranty without intervening use by such person.
     (2) The term "sale at retail" or "retail sale" ((shall)) must include the sale of or charge made for tangible personal property consumed and/or for labor and services rendered in respect to the following:
     (a) The installing, repairing, cleaning, altering, imprinting, or improving of tangible personal property of or for consumers, including charges made for the mere use of facilities in respect thereto, but excluding charges made for the use of self-service laundry facilities, and also excluding sales of laundry service to nonprofit health care facilities, and excluding services rendered in respect to live animals, birds and insects;
     (b) The constructing, repairing, decorating, or improving of new or existing buildings or other structures under, upon, or above real property of or for consumers, including the installing or attaching of any article of tangible personal property therein or thereto, whether or not such personal property becomes a part of the realty by virtue of installation, and shall also include the sale of services or charges made for the clearing of land and the moving of earth excepting the mere leveling of land used in commercial farming or agriculture;
     (c) The charge for labor and services rendered in respect to constructing, repairing, or improving any structure upon, above, or under any real property owned by an owner who conveys the property by title, possession, or any other means to the person performing such construction, repair, or improvement for the purpose of performing such construction, repair, or improvement and the property is then reconveyed by title, possession, or any other means to the original owner;
     (d) The sale of or charge made for labor and services rendered in respect to the cleaning, fumigating, razing or moving of existing buildings or structures, but ((shall)) must not include the charge made for janitorial services; and for purposes of this section the term "janitorial services" shall mean those cleaning and caretaking services ordinarily performed by commercial janitor service businesses including, but not limited to, wall and window washing, floor cleaning and waxing, and the cleaning in place of rugs, drapes and upholstery. The term "janitorial services" does not include painting, papering, repairing, furnace or septic tank cleaning, snow removal or sandblasting;
     (e) The sale of or charge made for labor and services rendered in respect to automobile towing and similar automotive transportation services, but not in respect to those required to report and pay taxes under chapter 82.16 RCW;
     (f) The sale of and charge made for the furnishing of lodging and all other services by a hotel, rooming house, tourist court, motel, trailer camp, and the granting of any similar license to use real property, as distinguished from the renting or leasing of real property, and it shall be presumed that the occupancy of real property for a continuous period of one month or more constitutes a rental or lease of real property and not a mere license to use or enjoy the same. For the purposes of this subsection, it shall be presumed that the sale of and charge made for the furnishing of lodging for a continuous period of one month or more to a person is a rental or lease of real property and not a mere license to enjoy the same;
     (g) The sale of or charge made for tangible personal property, labor and services to persons taxable under (a), (b), (c), (d), (e), and (f) of this subsection when such sales or charges are for property, labor and services which are used or consumed in whole or in part by such persons in the performance of any activity defined as a "sale at retail" or "retail sale" even though such property, labor and services may be resold after such use or consumption. Nothing contained in this subsection ((shall)) must be construed to modify subsection (1) of this section and nothing contained in subsection (1) of this section ((shall)) must be construed to modify this subsection.
     (3) The term "sale at retail" or "retail sale" ((shall)) must include the sale of or charge made for personal, business, or professional services including amounts designated as interest, rents, fees, admission, and other service emoluments however designated, received by persons engaging in the following business activities:
     (a) Amusement and recreation services including but not limited to golf, pool, billiards, skating, bowling, ski lifts and tows, day trips for sightseeing purposes, and others, when provided to consumers;
     (b) Abstract, title insurance, and escrow services;
     (c) Credit bureau services;
     (d) Automobile parking and storage garage services;
     (e) Landscape maintenance and horticultural services but excluding (i) horticultural services provided to farmers and (ii) pruning, trimming, repairing, removing, and clearing of trees and brush near electric transmission or distribution lines or equipment, if performed by or at the direction of an electric utility;
     (f) Service charges associated with tickets to professional sporting events; and
     (g) The following personal services: Physical fitness services, tanning salon services, tattoo parlor services, steam bath services, turkish bath services, escort services, and dating services.
     (4)(a) The term shall also include:
     (i) The renting or leasing of tangible personal property to consumers; and
     (ii) Providing tangible personal property along with an operator for a fixed or indeterminate period of time. A consideration of this is that the operator is necessary for the tangible personal property to perform as designed. For the purpose of this subsection (4)(a)(ii), an operator must do more than maintain, inspect, or set up the tangible personal property.
     (b) The term ((shall)) must not include the renting or leasing of tangible personal property where the lease or rental is for the purpose of sublease or subrent.
     (5) The term ((shall)) must also include the providing of telephone service, as defined in RCW 82.04.065, to consumers.
     (6) The term ((shall)) must also include the sale of prewritten computer software other than a sale to a person who presents a resale certificate under RCW 82.04.470, regardless of the method of delivery to the end user, but ((shall)) must not include custom software or the customization of prewritten computer software.
     (7) The term ((shall)) must also include the sale of or charge made for an extended warranty to a consumer. For purposes of this subsection, "extended warranty" means an agreement for a specified duration to perform the replacement or repair of tangible personal property at no additional charge or a reduced charge for tangible personal property, labor, or both, or to provide indemnification for the replacement or repair of tangible personal property, based on the occurrence of specified events. The term "extended warranty" does not include an agreement, otherwise meeting the definition of extended warranty in this subsection, if no separate charge is made for the agreement and the value of the agreement is included in the sales price of the tangible personal property covered by the agreement. For purposes of this subsection, "sales price" has the same meaning as in RCW 82.08.010.
     (8) The term ((shall)) must not include the sale of or charge made for labor and services rendered in respect to the building, repairing, or improving of any street, place, road, highway, easement, right of way, mass public transportation terminal or parking facility, bridge, tunnel, or trestle which is owned by a municipal corporation or political subdivision of the state or by the United States and which is used or to be used primarily for foot or vehicular traffic including mass transportation vehicles of any kind.
     (9) The term ((shall)) must also not include sales of chemical sprays or washes to persons for the purpose of postharvest treatment of fruit for the prevention of scald, fungus, mold, or decay, nor shall it include sales of feed, seed, seedlings, fertilizer, agents for enhanced pollination including insects such as bees, and spray materials to: (a) Persons who participate in the federal conservation reserve program, the environmental quality incentives program, the wetlands reserve program, and the wildlife habitat incentives program, or their successors administered by the United States department of agriculture; (b) farmers for the purpose of producing for sale any agricultural product; and (c) farmers acting under cooperative habitat development or access contracts with an organization exempt from federal income tax under 26 U.S.C. Sec. 501(c)(3) or the Washington state department of fish and wildlife to produce or improve wildlife habitat on land that the farmer owns or leases.
     (10) The term ((shall)) must not include the sale of or charge made for labor and services rendered in respect to the constructing, repairing, decorating, or improving of new or existing buildings or other structures under, upon, or above real property of or for the United States, any instrumentality thereof, or a county or city housing authority created pursuant to chapter 35.82 RCW, including the installing, or attaching of any article of tangible personal property therein or thereto, whether or not such personal property becomes a part of the realty by virtue of installation. Nor shall the term include the sale of services or charges made for the clearing of land and the moving of earth of or for the United States, any instrumentality thereof, or a county or city housing authority. Nor shall the term include the sale of services or charges made for cleaning up for the United States, or its instrumentalities, radioactive waste and other byproducts of weapons production and nuclear research and development.
     (11) The term ((shall)) must not include the sale of or charge made for labor, services, or tangible personal property pursuant to agreements providing maintenance services for bus, rail, or rail fixed guideway equipment when a regional transit authority is the recipient of the labor, services, or tangible personal property, and a transit agency, as defined in RCW 81.104.015, performs the labor or services.
     (12) Until July 1, 2012, the term must not include the sale of or charge made for labor and services rendered for environmental remedial action, as defined in section 3 of this act.

Sec. 2   RCW 82.04.190 and 2005 c 514 s 103 are each amended to read as follows:
     "Consumer" means the following:
     (1) Any person who purchases, acquires, owns, holds, or uses any article of tangible personal property irrespective of the nature of the person's business and including, among others, without limiting the scope hereof, persons who install, repair, clean, alter, improve, construct, or decorate real or personal property of or for consumers other than for the purpose (a) of resale as tangible personal property in the regular course of business or (b) of incorporating such property as an ingredient or component of real or personal property when installing, repairing, cleaning, altering, imprinting, improving, constructing, or decorating such real or personal property of or for consumers or (c) of consuming such property in producing for sale a new article of tangible personal property or a new substance, of which such property becomes an ingredient or component or as a chemical used in processing, when the primary purpose of such chemical is to create a chemical reaction directly through contact with an ingredient of a new article being produced for sale or (d) of consuming the property purchased in producing ferrosilicon which is subsequently used in producing magnesium for sale, if the primary purpose of such property is to create a chemical reaction directly through contact with an ingredient of ferrosilicon or (e) of satisfying the person's obligations under an extended warranty as defined in RCW 82.04.050(7), if such tangible personal property replaces or becomes an ingredient or component of property covered by the extended warranty without intervening use by such person;
     (2)(a) Any person engaged in any business activity taxable under RCW 82.04.290 or 82.04.2908; (b) any person who purchases, acquires, or uses any telephone service as defined in RCW 82.04.065, other than for resale in the regular course of business; (c) any person who purchases, acquires, or uses any service defined in RCW 82.04.050(2)(a), other than for resale in the regular course of business or for the purpose of satisfying the person's obligations under an extended warranty as defined in RCW 82.04.050(7); (d) any person who purchases, acquires, or uses any amusement and recreation service defined in RCW 82.04.050(3)(a), other than for resale in the regular course of business; (e) any person who is an end user of software; and (f) any person who purchases or acquires an extended warranty as defined in RCW 82.04.050(7) other than for resale in the regular course of business;
     (3) Any person engaged in the business of contracting for the building, repairing or improving of any street, place, road, highway, easement, right of way, mass public transportation terminal or parking facility, bridge, tunnel, or trestle which is owned by a municipal corporation or political subdivision of the state of Washington or by the United States and which is used or to be used primarily for foot or vehicular traffic including mass transportation vehicles of any kind as defined in RCW 82.04.280, in respect to tangible personal property when such person incorporates such property as an ingredient or component of such publicly owned street, place, road, highway, easement, right of way, mass public transportation terminal or parking facility, bridge, tunnel, or trestle by installing, placing or spreading the property in or upon the right of way of such street, place, road, highway, easement, bridge, tunnel, or trestle or in or upon the site of such mass public transportation terminal or parking facility;
     (4) Any person who is an owner, lessee or has the right of possession to or an easement in real property which is being constructed, repaired, decorated, improved, or otherwise altered by a person engaged in business, excluding only (a) municipal corporations or political subdivisions of the state in respect to labor and services rendered to their real property which is used or held for public road purposes, and (b) the United States, instrumentalities thereof, and county and city housing authorities created pursuant to chapter 35.82 RCW in respect to labor and services rendered to their real property. Nothing contained in this or any other subsection of this definition shall be construed to modify any other definition of "consumer";
     (5) Any person who is an owner, lessee, or has the right of possession to personal property which is being constructed, repaired, improved, cleaned, imprinted, or otherwise altered by a person engaged in business;
     (6) Any person engaged in the business of constructing, repairing, decorating, or improving new or existing buildings or other structures under, upon, or above real property of or for the United States, any instrumentality thereof, or a county or city housing authority created pursuant to chapter 35.82 RCW, including the installing or attaching of any article of tangible personal property therein or thereto, whether or not such personal property becomes a part of the realty by virtue of installation; also, any person engaged in the business of clearing land and moving earth of or for the United States, any instrumentality thereof, or a county or city housing authority created pursuant to chapter 35.82 RCW. Any such person shall be a consumer within the meaning of this subsection in respect to tangible personal property incorporated into, installed in, or attached to such building or other structure by such person, except that consumer does not include any person engaged in the business of constructing, repairing, decorating, or improving new or existing buildings or other structures under, upon, or above real property of or for the United States, or any instrumentality thereof, if the investment project would qualify for sales and use tax deferral under chapter 82.63 RCW if undertaken by a private entity;
     (7) Any person who is a lessor of machinery and equipment, the rental of which is exempt from the tax imposed by RCW 82.08.020 under RCW 82.08.02565, with respect to the sale of or charge made for tangible personal property consumed in respect to repairing the machinery and equipment, if the tangible personal property has a useful life of less than one year. Nothing contained in this or any other subsection of this section shall be construed to modify any other definition of "consumer";
     (8) Any person engaged in the business of cleaning up for the United States, or its instrumentalities, radioactive waste and other byproducts of weapons production and nuclear research and development; ((and))
     (9) Any person who is an owner, lessee, or has the right of possession of tangible personal property that, under the terms of an extended warranty as defined in RCW 82.04.050(7), has been repaired or is replacement property, but only with respect to the sale of or charge made for the repairing of the tangible personal property or the replacement property; and
     (10) Until July 1, 2012, any person engaged in the business of conducting environmental remedial action, as defined in section 3 of this act.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   A new section is added to chapter 82.04 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) Upon every person engaging within this state in the business of environmental remedial action, the amount of tax with respect to such business shall be equal to the value of the gross income of the business multiplied by the rate 0.471 percent.
     (2)(a) For purposes of this section, "environmental remedial action" means:
     (i) Those services related to the identification, investigation, or cleanup arising out of the release or threatened release of hazardous substances in Washington state that are conducted under contract with the department of ecology or under an enforcement order, agreed order, or consent decree executed by the department of ecology, or those services, when evaluated as a whole, that are the substantial equivalent of a department of ecology-conducted or supervised remedial action under the model toxics control act, chapter 70.105D RCW; or
     (ii) Those services related to the identification, investigation, or cleanup of a facility located in Washington state that are conducted under contract with the United States environmental protection agency or under an order or consent decree executed by the United States environmental protection agency, or that are consistent with the national contingency plan adopted under the comprehensive environmental response compensation and liability act, 42 U.S.C. Sec. 9605 as it exists on July 1, 1998, and those services are conducted at facilities that are included on the national priorities list adopted under 42 U.S.C. Sec. 9605 as it exists on July 1, 1998, or at facilities subject to a removal action authorized under 42 U.S.C. Sec. 9604 as it exists on July 1, 1998.
     (b) "Environmental remedial action" does not include services that would normally be rendered as part of site development, redevelopment, or maintenance including:
     (i) Demolition of structures, including services related to removal of asbestos or lead paint from structures, unless removal of the structure is necessary to gain access to underlying soil or ground water contamination;
     (ii) Placement of pavement and sidewalks;
     (iii) Landscaping of the site; and
     (iv) Installation of new underground storage tank systems.
     (3) A site is eligible for environmental remedial action upon submittal, via certified mail to the department of ecology and the department of revenue, of the following:
     (a) A certification from the owner, the department of ecology, or the United States environmental protection agency, containing the following information:
     (i) The location of the site, shown on a map and identified by parcel number or numbers and street address;
     (ii) The name and address and daytime phone number of a contact person;
     (iii) A statement that the proposed environmental remedial actions will be conducted by the department of ecology or its authorized contractor under chapter 70.105D RCW or will be substantially equivalent to a department of ecology-conducted or supervised remedial action under the model toxics control act, chapter 70.105D RCW, or will be conducted by the United States environmental protection agency or its authorized contractor or will be consistent with the national contingency plan under 42 U.S.C. Sec. 9605 as it exists on July 1, 1998; and
     (iv) A description of the proposed environmental remedial actions to be taken; and
     (b)(i) A certification from a certified underground storage tank service supervisor as authorized in chapter 90.76 RCW, from a professional engineer licensed in the state of Washington, or from an environmental professional who subscribes to a code of professional responsibility administered by a recognized organization representing such professions containing the following information:
     (A) Confirmation that an environmental remedial action as defined in this section is to be conducted at the site;
     (B) The location of the site, shown on a map and identified by parcel number or numbers and street address, and the approximate location of the proposed environmental remedial action; and
     (C) The name, address, telephone number, and uniform business identifier of the person providing the certification; or
     (ii) If applicable to the site, a copy of an enforcement order, agreed order, or consent decree executed by the department of ecology or the United States environmental protection agency.
     (4) The department of revenue shall respond in writing to the owner within thirty days confirming receipt of the certification, or certifications, of eligibility. Under RCW 82.32.330(3)(m), certification is subject to disclosure and copies may be obtained from the department upon request. The request shall be in writing and shall identify the site by county and parcel number or numbers.
     (5) The owner shall provide a copy of the confirmation from the department of revenue to each person who renders environmental remedial action at the site. Each person who renders such action shall separately state the charges for labor and services associated with the environmental remedial action.
     (6) Upon completion of the environmental remedial action, the owner shall submit to the department of ecology a report documenting the environmental remedial actions conducted at the site and documenting compliance with the requirements of chapter 70.105D RCW. This report shall include information, on a form provided by the department, regarding the effect of the tax classification of the environmental remedial action on the scope and timing of the environmental remedial action conducted.
     (7) In addition to any other penalties, a person who files a certificate with the department of ecology or the department of revenue that contains falsehoods or misrepresentations are subject to penalties authorized under chapter 18.43 or 90.76 RCW or RCW 9A.76.175. Also, a person who improperly reports the person's tax class shall be assessed a penalty of fifty percent of the tax due, in addition to other taxes or penalties, together with interest. The department of revenue shall waive the penalty imposed under this section if it finds that the falsehoods or misrepresentations or improper reporting of the tax classification was due to circumstances beyond the control of the person.
     (8) The department of ecology shall report to the legislature by December 10, 2011, on the environmental remedial actions conducted under this act. The report must include the following information:
     (a) The number of sites for which the certifications required under subsection (3) of this section were submitted during the years 2008, 2009, and 2010;
     (b) The number of sites for which the owner's report required under subsection (6) of this section were submitted during the years 2008, 2009, and 2010;
     (c) The number of these sites which were cleaned up under a voluntary remedial action and the number of these sites which were cleaned up under state or federal order;
     (d) An analysis of the effect of this act in encouraging site owners to conduct environmental remedial action more quickly or more effectively; and
     (e) Recommendations to improve the timely and voluntary cleanup of contaminated sites in Washington.
     (9) This section expires July 1, 2012.