READ FIRST TIME 02/06/08.   

     AN ACT Relating to financial fraud; amending RCW 62A.9A-525; adding a new section to chapter 43.330 RCW; making an appropriation; and providing an expiration date.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   A new section is added to chapter 43.330 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The financial fraud and identity theft crimes investigation and prosecution program is created in the department of community, trade, and economic development. The department shall:
     (a) Appoint members of the financial fraud task forces created in subsection (2) of this section;
     (b) Administer the account created in subsection (3) of this section; and
     (c) By December 31st of each year submit a report to the appropriate committees of the legislature and the governor regarding the progress of the program and task forces. The report must include recommendations on changes to the program, including expansion.
     (2)(a) The department shall establish two regional financial fraud and identity theft crime task forces that include a central Puget Sound task force that includes King and Pierce counties, and a Spokane county task force. Each task force must be comprised of local law enforcement, county prosecutors, representatives of the office of the attorney general, financial institutions, and other state and local law enforcement.
     (b) The department shall appoint: (i) Representatives of local law enforcement from a list provided by the Washington association of sheriffs and police chiefs; (ii) representatives of county prosecutors from a list provided by the Washington association of prosecuting attorneys; and (iii) representatives of financial institutions.
     (c) Each task force shall:
     (i) Hold regular meetings to discuss emerging trends and threats of local financial fraud and identity theft crimes;
     (ii) Set priorities for the activities for the task force;
     (iii) Apply to the department for funding to (A) hire prosecutors and/or law enforcement personnel dedicated to investigating and prosecuting financial fraud and identity theft crimes; and (B) acquire other needed resources to conduct the work of the task force;
     (iv) Establish outcome-based performance measures; and
     (v) Twice annually report to the department regarding the activities and performance of the task force.
     (3) The financial fraud and identity theft crimes investigation and prosecution account is created in the state treasury. Moneys in the account may be spent only after appropriation. Revenue to the account may include appropriations, revenues generated by the surcharge imposed in section 2 of this act, federal funds, and any other gifts or grants. Expenditures from the account may be used only to support the activities of the financial fraud and identity theft crime investigation and prosecution task forces and the program administrative expenses of the department, which may not exceed ten percent of the amount appropriated.
     (4) For purposes of this section, "financial fraud and identity theft crimes" includes those that involve: Check fraud, chronic unlawful issuance of bank checks, embezzlement, credit/debit card fraud, identity theft, forgery, counterfeit instruments such as checks or documents, organized counterfeit check rings, and organized identification theft rings.

Sec. 2   RCW 62A.9A-525 and 2000 c 250 s 9A-525 are each amended to read as follows:
     (a) Filing with department of licensing. Except as otherwise provided in subsection (b) or (e) of this section, the fee for filing and indexing a record under this part is the fee set by department of licensing rule pursuant to subsection (f) of this section. Without limitation, different fees may be charged for:
     (1) A record that is communicated in writing and consists of one or two pages;
     (2) A record that is communicated in writing and consists of more than two pages, which fee may be a multiple of the fee described in (1) of this subsection; and
     (3) A record that is communicated by another medium authorized by department of licensing rule, which fee may be a fraction of the fee described in (1) of this subsection.
     (b) Filing with other filing offices. Except as otherwise provided in subsection (e) of this section, the fee for filing and indexing a record under this part that is filed in a filing office described in RCW 62A.9A-501(a)(1) is the fee that would otherwise be applicable to the recording of a mortgage in that filing office, as set forth in RCW 36.18.010.
     (c) Number of names. The number of names required to be indexed does not affect the amount of the fee in subsections (a) and (b) of this section.
     (d) Response to information request. The fee for responding to a request for information from a filing office, including for issuing a certificate showing, or otherwise communicating, whether there is on file any financing statement naming a particular debtor, is the fee set by department of licensing rule pursuant to subsection (f) of this section; provided however, if the request is to a filing office described in RCW 62A.9A-501(a)(1) and that office charges a different fee, then that different fee shall apply instead. Without limitation, different fees may be charged:
     (1) If the request is communicated in writing;
     (2) If the request is communicated by another medium authorized by filing-office rule; and
     (3) If the request is for expedited service.
     (e) Record of mortgage. This section does not require a fee with respect to a record of a mortgage which is effective as a financing statement filed as a fixture filing or as a financing statement covering as-extracted collateral or timber to be cut under RCW 62A.9A-502(c). However, the recording and satisfaction fees that otherwise would be applicable to the record of the mortgage apply.
     (f) Filing office rules. (1) The department of licensing shall by rule set the fees called for in this section for filing with, and obtaining information from, the department of licensing. The director shall set fees at a sufficient level to defray the costs of administering the program. All receipts from fees collected under this title, except fees for services covered under RCW 62A.9A-501(a)(1), shall be deposited to the uniform commercial code fund in the state treasury. Moneys in the fund may be spent only after appropriation and may be used only to administer the uniform commercial code program.
     (2) In addition to fees on filings authorized under this section, the department of licensing shall impose a surcharge of eight dollars per filing for paper filings and a surcharge of three dollars per filing for electronic filings. The department shall deposit the proceeds from these surcharges in the financial fraud and identity theft crimes investigation and prosecution account created in section 1 of this act.
     (g) Transition. This section continues the fee-setting authority conferred on the department of licensing by former RCW 62A.9-409 and nothing herein shall invalidate fees set by the department of licensing under the authority of former RCW 62A.9-409.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   The sum of four hundred eighty-eight thousand dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the biennium ending June 30, 2009, from the financial fraud and identity theft crimes investigation and prosecution account to the department of community, trade, and economic development for the purposes of this act.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4   This act expires July 1, 2015.