BILL REQ. #:  H-5154.1 

READ FIRST TIME 02/05/08.   

     AN ACT Relating to promoting accessible communities for persons with disabilities; amending RCW 29A.46.260 and 38.52.070; reenacting and amending RCW 46.16.381 and 43.79A.040; adding new sections to chapter 50.40 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 36.01 RCW; creating a new section; and providing an effective date.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature finds that when people who have disabilities are welcomed and included as members of our communities and provided with equal access to the opportunities available to others, their participation enriches those communities, enhances the strength of those communities' diversity, and contributes toward the economic vitality of those communities. The legislature further finds that more than nine hundred thousand Washington state residents with disabilities continue to face barriers to full participation that could be easily eliminated.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 50.40 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The accessible communities account is created in the custody of the state treasurer. One hundred dollars from each penalty imposed under RCW 46.16.381 (7), (8), (9), and (11) must be deposited into the account.
     (2) The account is subject to the allotment procedures under chapter 43.88 RCW, but an appropriation is not required for expenditures. Only the commissioner may authorize expenditures from the account.
     (3) Expenditures from the account may be used for promoting greater awareness of disability issues and improved access for and acceptance of persons with disabilities in communities in the state of Washington, including:
     (a) Reimbursing travel, per diem, and reasonable accommodation or meeting expenses for county accessible community advisory committees;
     (b) Establishing and maintaining an accessible communities web site;
     (c) Providing training or technical assistance for county accessible community advisory committees; and
     (d) A grant program for funding proposals developed and submitted by county accessible community advisory committees to promote greater awareness of disability issues and access for persons with disabilities within the community.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   A new section is added to chapter 50.40 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The governor's committee on disability issues and employment shall:
     (a) Determine eligibility of accessible community advisory committees for grant funding according to section 4(1) of this act;
     (b) Solicit proposals from active accessible community advisory committees for projects to improve disability awareness and access for persons with disabilities, and shall select projects for funding from moneys available in the accessible communities account; and
     (c) Adopt rules to administer this subsection.
     (2) The governor's committee on disability issues and employment shall establish an accessible communities web site to provide the following information: Guidance, technical assistance, reference materials, and resource identification for local governments, accessible community advisory committees, and public accommodations; examples of best practices for local initiatives and activities to promote greater awareness of disability issues and access for persons with disabilities within the community; and a searchable listing of local public accommodations that have taken steps to be more disability friendly, including information on the specific access features provided.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4   A new section is added to chapter 36.01 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) A county that has an active accessible community advisory committee established under RCW 29A.46.260 may be reimbursed from the accessible communities account created in section 2 of this act for travel, per diem, reasonable accommodation expenses for the participation of that committee's members in committee meetings and sponsored activities, and meeting room costs for the county's accessible community advisory committee meetings.
     (2) A county establishes that it has an active accessible community advisory committee by submitting annual assurances to the governor's committee on disability issues and employment that:
     (a) Committee members include persons with a diverse range of disabilities who are knowledgeable in identifying and eliminating attitudinal, programmatic, and physical barriers encountered by persons with disabilities.
     (b) The committee is actively involved in the following activities: Advising on addressing the needs of persons with disabilities in emergency plans; advising the county and other local governments within the county on access to programs services and activities, new construction or renovation projects, sidewalks, other pedestrian routes of travel, and disability parking enforcement; and developing local initiatives and activities to promote greater awareness of disability issues and access for persons with disabilities within the community.
     (3) Adjacent counties may form joint accessible community advisory committees, as long as no more than one of the participating counties has a population greater than seventy thousand.
     (4) A county that is required to establish and maintain an advisory committee under RCW 29A.46.260 may incorporate the functions of that committee into an active accessible community advisory committee.

Sec. 5   RCW 29A.46.260 and 2006 c 207 s 7 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The legislature finds that the elimination of polling places resulting from the transition to vote by mail creates barriers that restrict the ability of many voters with disabilities from achieving the independence and privacy in voting provided by the accessible voting devices required under the help America vote act. Counties adopting a vote by mail system must take appropriate steps to mitigate these impacts and to address the obligation to provide voters with disabilities an equal opportunity to vote independently and privately, to the extent that this can be achieved without incurring undue administrative and financial burden.
     (2) Each county shall establish and maintain an accessible community advisory committee that includes persons with diverse disabilities and persons with expertise in providing accommodations for persons with disabilities. The committee shall assist election officials in developing a plan to identify and implement changes to improve the accessibility of elections for voters with disabilities. The plan shall include recommendations for the following:
     (a) The number of polling places that will be maintained in order to ensure that people with disabilities have reasonable access to accessible voting devices, and a written explanation for how the determination was made;
     (b) The locations of polling places, drop-off facilities, voting centers, and other election-related functions necessary to maximize accessibility to persons with disabilities;
     (c) Outreach to voters with disabilities on the availability of disability accommodation, including in-person disability access voting;
     (d) Transportation of voting devices to locations convenient for voters with disabilities in order to ensure reasonable access for voters with disabilities; and
     (e) Implementation of the provisions of the help America vote act related to persons with disabilities.
     Counties must update the plan at least annually. The election review staff of the secretary of state shall review and evaluate the plan in conformance with the review procedure identified in RCW 29A.04.570.
     (3) Counties may form a joint accessible community advisory committee to develop the plan identified in subsection (2) of this section if ((the total population of the joining counties does not exceed thirty thousand, and the counties are geographically adjacent)) no more than one of the participating counties has a population greater than seventy thousand.

Sec. 6   RCW 46.16.381 and 2007 c 262 s 1 and 2007 c 44 s 1 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:
     (1) The director shall grant special parking privileges to any person who has a disability that limits or impairs the ability to walk or involves acute sensitivity to light and meets one of the following criteria, as determined by a licensed physician, an advanced registered nurse practitioner licensed under chapter 18.79 RCW, or a physician assistant licensed under chapter 18.71A or 18.57A RCW:
     (a) Cannot walk two hundred feet without stopping to rest;
     (b) Is severely limited in ability to walk due to arthritic, neurological, or orthopedic condition;
     (c) Has such a severe disability, that the person cannot walk without the use of or assistance from a brace, cane, another person, prosthetic device, wheelchair, or other assistive device;
     (d) Uses portable oxygen;
     (e) Is restricted by lung disease to such an extent that forced expiratory respiratory volume, when measured by spirometry is less than one liter per second or the arterial oxygen tension is less than sixty mm/hg on room air at rest;
     (f) Impairment by cardiovascular disease or cardiac condition to the extent that the person's functional limitations are classified as class III or IV under standards accepted by the American Heart Association;
     (g) Has a disability resulting from an acute sensitivity to automobile emissions which limits or impairs the ability to walk. The personal physician, advanced registered nurse practitioner, or physician assistant of the applicant shall document that the disability is comparable in severity to the others listed in this subsection;
     (h) Is legally blind and has limited mobility; or
     (i) Is restricted by a form of porphyria to the extent that the applicant would significantly benefit from a decrease in exposure to light.
     (2) The applications for parking permits for persons with disabilities and parking permits for persons with temporary disabilities are official state documents. Knowingly providing false information in conjunction with the application is a gross misdemeanor punishable under chapter 9A.20 RCW. The following statement must appear on each application form immediately below the physician's, advanced registered nurse practitioner's, or physician assistant's signature and immediately below the applicant's signature: "A parking permit for a person with disabilities may be issued only for a medical necessity that severely affects mobility or involves acute sensitivity to light (RCW 46.16.381). Knowingly providing false information on this application is a gross misdemeanor. The penalty is up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $5,000 or both."
     (3) Persons who qualify for special parking privileges are entitled to receive from the department of licensing a removable windshield placard bearing the international symbol of access and an individual serial number, along with a special identification card bearing the name and date of birth of the person to whom the placard is issued, and the placard's serial number. The special identification card shall be issued to all persons who are issued parking placards, including those issued for temporary disabilities, and special parking license plates for persons with disabilities. The department shall design the placard to be displayed when the vehicle is parked by suspending it from the rearview mirror, or in the absence of a rearview mirror the card may be displayed on the dashboard of any vehicle used to transport the person with disabilities. Instead of regular motor vehicle license plates, persons with disabilities are entitled to receive special license plates under this section or RCW 46.16.385 bearing the international symbol of access for one vehicle registered in the name of the person with disabilities. Persons with disabilities who are not issued the special license plates are entitled to receive a second special placard upon submitting a written request to the department. Persons who have been issued the parking privileges and who are using a vehicle or are riding in a vehicle displaying the placard or special license plates issued under this section or RCW 46.16.385 may park in places reserved for persons with physical disabilities. The director shall adopt rules providing for the issuance of special placards and license plates to public transportation authorities, nursing homes licensed under chapter 18.51 RCW, boarding homes licensed under chapter 18.20 RCW, senior citizen centers, private nonprofit agencies as defined in chapter 24.03 RCW, and vehicles registered with the department as cabulances that regularly transport persons with disabilities who have been determined eligible for special parking privileges provided under this section. The director may issue special license plates for a vehicle registered in the name of the public transportation authority, nursing home, boarding home, senior citizen center, private nonprofit agency, or cabulance service if the vehicle is primarily used to transport persons with disabilities described in this section. Public transportation authorities, nursing homes, boarding homes, senior citizen centers, private nonprofit agencies, and cabulance services are responsible for insuring that the special placards and license plates are not used improperly and are responsible for all fines and penalties for improper use.
     (4) Whenever the person with disabilities transfers or assigns his or her interest in the vehicle, the special license plates shall be removed from the motor vehicle. If another vehicle is acquired by the person with disabilities and the vehicle owner qualifies for a special plate, the plate shall be attached to the vehicle, and the director shall be immediately notified of the transfer of the plate. If another vehicle is not acquired by the person with disabilities, the removed plate shall be immediately surrendered to the director.
     (5) The special license plate shall be renewed in the same manner and at the time required for the renewal of regular motor vehicle license plates under this chapter. No special license plate may be issued to a person who is temporarily disabled. A person who has a condition expected to improve within six months may be issued a temporary placard for a period not to exceed six months. If the condition exists after six months a new temporary placard shall be issued upon receipt of a new certification from the person's physician. The permanent parking placard and identification card of a person with disabilities shall be renewed at least every five years, as required by the director, by satisfactory proof of the right to continued use of the privileges. In the event of the permit holder's death, the parking placard and identification card must be immediately surrendered to the department. The department shall match and purge its database of parking permits issued to persons with disabilities with available death record information at least every twelve months.
     (6) Additional fees shall not be charged for the issuance of the special placards or the identification cards. No additional fee may be charged for the issuance of the special license plates except the regular motor vehicle registration fee and any other fees and taxes required to be paid upon registration of a motor vehicle.
     (7) Any unauthorized use of the special placard, special license plate issued under this section or RCW 46.16.385, or identification card is a traffic infraction with a monetary penalty of ((two)) three hundred fifty dollars.
     (8) It is a parking infraction, with a monetary penalty of ((two)) three hundred fifty dollars for a person to park in, block, or otherwise make inaccessible the access aisle located next to a space reserved for persons with physical disabilities. The clerk of the court shall report all violations related to this subsection to the department.
     (9) It is a parking infraction, with a monetary penalty of ((two)) three hundred fifty dollars for any person to park a vehicle in a parking place provided on private property without charge or on public property reserved for persons with physical disabilities without a placard or special license plate issued under this section or RCW 46.16.385. If a person is charged with a violation, the person shall not be determined to have committed an infraction if the person produces in court or before the court appearance the placard or special license plate issued under this section or RCW 46.16.385 required under this section. A local jurisdiction providing nonmetered, on-street parking places reserved for persons with physical disabilities may impose by ordinance time restrictions of no less than four hours on the use of these parking places. A local jurisdiction may impose by ordinance time restrictions of no less than four hours on the use of nonreserved, on-street parking spaces by vehicles displaying the special parking placards or special license plates issued under this section or RCW 46.16.385. All time restrictions must be clearly posted.
     (10) ((The penalties)) One hundred dollars from each penalty imposed under subsections (7), (8) ((and)), (9), and (11) of this section shall be deposited in the accessible communities account created in section 2 of this act. The remaining penalty amounts shall be used by that local jurisdiction exclusively for law enforcement. The court may also impose an additional penalty sufficient to reimburse the local jurisdiction for any costs it may have incurred in removal and storage of the improperly parked vehicle.
     (11) Except as provided by subsection (2) of this section, it is a traffic infraction with a monetary penalty of ((two)) three hundred fifty dollars for any person willfully to obtain a special license plate issued under this section or RCW 46.16.385, placard, or identification card in a manner other than that established under this section.
     (12)(a) A law enforcement agency authorized to enforce parking laws may appoint volunteers, with a limited commission, to issue notices of infractions for violations of this section or RCW 46.61.581. Volunteers must be at least twenty-one years of age. The law enforcement agency appointing volunteers may establish any other qualifications the agency deems desirable.
     (b) An agency appointing volunteers under this section must provide training to the volunteers before authorizing them to issue notices of infractions.
     (c) A notice of infraction issued by a volunteer appointed under this subsection has the same force and effect as a notice of infraction issued by a police officer for the same offense.
     (d) A police officer or a volunteer may request a person to show the person's identification card or special parking placard when investigating the possibility of a violation of this section. If the request is refused, the person in charge of the vehicle may be issued a notice of infraction for a violation of this section.
     (13) For second or subsequent violations of this section, in addition to a monetary fine, the violator must complete a minimum of forty hours of:
     (a) Community restitution for a nonprofit organization that serves persons having disabilities or disabling diseases; or
     (b) Any other community restitution that may sensitize the violator to the needs and obstacles faced by persons who have disabilities.
     (14) The court may not suspend more than one-half of any fine imposed under subsection (7), (8), (9), or (11) of this section.
     (15) For the purposes of this section, "legally blind" means a person who: (a) Has no vision or whose vision with corrective lenses is so limited that the individual requires alternative methods or skills to do efficiently those things that are ordinarily done with sight by individuals with normal vision; or (b) has an eye condition of a progressive nature which may lead to blindness.

Sec. 7   RCW 43.79A.040 and 2007 c 523 s 5, 2007 c 357 s 21, and 2007 c 214 s 14 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:
     (1) Money in the treasurer's trust fund may be deposited, invested, and reinvested by the state treasurer in accordance with RCW 43.84.080 in the same manner and to the same extent as if the money were in the state treasury.
     (2) All income received from investment of the treasurer's trust fund shall be set aside in an account in the treasury trust fund to be known as the investment income account.
     (3) The investment income account may be utilized for the payment of purchased banking services on behalf of treasurer's trust funds including, but not limited to, depository, safekeeping, and disbursement functions for the state treasurer or affected state agencies. The investment income account is subject in all respects to chapter 43.88 RCW, but no appropriation is required for payments to financial institutions. Payments shall occur prior to distribution of earnings set forth in subsection (4) of this section.
     (4)(a) Monthly, the state treasurer shall distribute the earnings credited to the investment income account to the state general fund except under (b) and (c) of this subsection.
     (b) The following accounts and funds shall receive their proportionate share of earnings based upon each account's or fund's average daily balance for the period: The Washington promise scholarship account, the college savings program account, the Washington advanced college tuition payment program account, the accessible communities account, the agricultural local fund, the American Indian scholarship endowment fund, the foster care scholarship endowment fund, the foster care endowed scholarship trust fund, the students with dependents grant account, the basic health plan self-insurance reserve account, the contract harvesting revolving account, the Washington state combined fund drive account, the commemorative works account, the Washington international exchange scholarship endowment fund, the developmental disabilities endowment trust fund, the energy account, the fair fund, the family leave insurance account, the fruit and vegetable inspection account, the future teachers conditional scholarship account, the game farm alternative account, the GET ready for math and science scholarship account, the grain inspection revolving fund, the juvenile accountability incentive account, the law enforcement officers' and firefighters' plan 2 expense fund, the local tourism promotion account, the produce railcar pool account, the regional transportation investment district account, the rural rehabilitation account, the stadium and exhibition center account, the youth athletic facility account, the self-insurance revolving fund, the sulfur dioxide abatement account, the children's trust fund, the Washington horse racing commission Washington bred owners' bonus fund account, the Washington horse racing commission class C purse fund account, the individual development account program account, the Washington horse racing commission operating account (earnings from the Washington horse racing commission operating account must be credited to the Washington horse racing commission class C purse fund account), the life sciences discovery fund, the Washington state heritage center account, and the reading achievement account. However, the earnings to be distributed shall first be reduced by the allocation to the state treasurer's service fund pursuant to RCW 43.08.190.
     (c) The following accounts and funds shall receive eighty percent of their proportionate share of earnings based upon each account's or fund's average daily balance for the period: The advanced right-of-way revolving fund, the advanced environmental mitigation revolving account, the city and county advance right-of-way revolving fund, the federal narcotics asset forfeitures account, the high occupancy vehicle account, the local rail service assistance account, and the miscellaneous transportation programs account.
     (5) In conformance with Article II, section 37 of the state Constitution, no trust accounts or funds shall be allocated earnings without the specific affirmative directive of this section.

Sec. 8   RCW 38.52.070 and 1997 c 49 s 4 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) Each political subdivision of this state is hereby authorized and directed to establish a local organization or to be a member of a joint local organization for emergency management in accordance with the state comprehensive emergency management plan and program: PROVIDED, That a political subdivision proposing such establishment shall submit its plan and program for emergency management to the state director and secure his or her recommendations thereon, and verification of consistency with the state comprehensive emergency management plan, in order that the plan of the local organization for emergency management may be coordinated with the plan and program of the state. Local comprehensive emergency management plans must specify the use of the incident command system for multiagency/multijurisdiction operations. By July 2010, local comprehensive emergency plans must identify and respond to the needs of persons with disabilities concerning issues such as: Notification; evacuation; emergency transportation; sheltering; access to medications, refrigeration, and backup power; access to mobility devices and service animals while in transit or at shelters; and access to information. The local comprehensive emergency plans must document the participation of accessible community advisory committees or other local disability organizations in developing the responses to these issues. No political subdivision may be required to include in its plan provisions for the emergency evacuation or relocation of residents in anticipation of nuclear attack. If the director's recommendations are adverse to the plan as submitted, and, if the local organization does not agree to the director's recommendations for modification to the proposal, the matter shall be referred to the council for final action. The director may authorize two or more political subdivisions to join in the establishment and operation of a joint local organization for emergency management as circumstances may warrant, in which case each political subdivision shall contribute to the cost of emergency management upon such fair and equitable basis as may be determined upon by the executive heads of the constituent subdivisions. If in any case the executive heads cannot agree upon the proper division of cost the matter shall be referred to the council for arbitration and its decision shall be final. When two or more political subdivisions join in the establishment and operation of a joint local organization for emergency management each shall pay its share of the cost into a special pooled fund to be administered by the treasurer of the most populous subdivision, which fund shall be known as the . . . . . . emergency management fund. Each local organization or joint local organization for emergency management shall have a director who shall be appointed by the executive head of the political subdivision, and who shall have direct responsibility for the organization, administration, and operation of such local organization for emergency management, subject to the direction and control of such executive officer or officers. In the case of a joint local organization for emergency management, the director shall be appointed by the joint action of the executive heads of the constituent political subdivisions. Each local organization or joint local organization for emergency management shall perform emergency management functions within the territorial limits of the political subdivision within which it is organized, and, in addition, shall conduct such functions outside of such territorial limits as may be required pursuant to the provisions of this chapter.
     (2) In carrying out the provisions of this chapter each political subdivision, in which any disaster as described in RCW 38.52.020 occurs, shall have the power to enter into contracts and incur obligations necessary to combat such disaster, protecting the health and safety of persons and property, and providing emergency assistance to the victims of such disaster. Each political subdivision is authorized to exercise the powers vested under this section in the light of the exigencies of an extreme emergency situation without regard to time-consuming procedures and formalities prescribed by law (excepting mandatory constitutional requirements), including, but not limited to, budget law limitations, requirements of competitive bidding and publication of notices, provisions pertaining to the performance of public work, entering into contracts, the incurring of obligations, the employment of temporary workers, the rental of equipment, the purchase of supplies and materials, the levying of taxes, and the appropriation and expenditures of public funds.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 9   Section 7 of this act takes effect July 1, 2008.