BILL REQ. #: S-3160.1

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SENATE BILL 6435
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State of Washington

62nd Legislature

2012 Regular Session

By Senators Stevens and Ericksen

Read first time 01/23/12. Referred to Committee on Transportation.

AN ACT Relating to prioritizing existing funding for special safety corridor projects; amending RCW 46.17.200; adding a new section to chapter 46.68 RCW; and declaring an emergency.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 46.17.200 and 2011 c 171 s 56 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) In addition to all other fees and taxes required by law, the department, county auditor or other agent, or subagent appointed by the director shall charge:
     (a) The following license plate fees for each license plate, unless the owner or type of vehicle is exempt from payment:

FEE TYPE	FEE	DISTRIBUTION
Reflectivity	$ 2.00	RCW 46.68.070
Replacement	$ 10.00	((~~RCW 46.68.070~~)) Subsection (3) of this section
Replacement, motorcycle	$ 2.00	RCW 46.68.070
Original issue, moped	$1.50	RCW 46.68.070

     (b) A license plate retention fee, as required under RCW 46.16A.200(10)((~~(a)(iii)~~)) (c), of twenty dollars if the owner wishes to retain the current license plate number upon license plate replacement, unless the owner or type of vehicle is exempt from payment. The twenty dollar fee must be deposited in the multimodal transportation account created in RCW 47.66.070.
     (c) A ten dollar license plate transfer fee, as required under RCW 46.16A.200(8)(a), when transferring standard issue license plates from one vehicle to another, unless the owner or type of vehicle is exempt from payment. The ten dollar license plate transfer fee must be deposited in the motor vehicle fund created in RCW 46.68.070.
     (d) Former prisoner of war license plates, as described in RCW 46.18.235, may be transferred to a replacement vehicle upon payment of a five dollar license plate fee, in addition to any other fee required by law.
     (2) The department may, upon request, provide license plates that have been used and returned to the department to individuals for nonvehicular use. The department may charge a fee of up to five dollars per license plate to cover costs or recovery for postage and handling. The department may waive the fee for license plates used in educational projects and may, by rule, provide standards for the fee waiver and restrictions on the number of license plates provided to any one person. The fee must be deposited in the motor vehicle fund created in RCW 46.68.070.
     (3) The license plate replacement fee under subsection (1)(a) of this section must be deposited as follows:
     (a) Seven dollars per license plate in the motor vehicle fund; and
     (b) Three dollars per license plate in the special safety corridor account created in section 2 of this act.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 46.68 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The special safety corridor account is created in the motor vehicle fund. All receipts from the fee imposed under RCW 46.17.200(1)(a) for replacement license plates, as distributed under RCW 46.17.200(3), must be deposited into the account. Moneys in the account may be spent only after appropriation. Expenditures from the account may be used for special safety corridor projects. Special safety corridor projects are projects that may require bond financing to complete construction and safety improvements. The following criteria must be used in determining which special safety corridor projects have the highest priority:
     (a) Fatal accident experience;
     (b) Historic underfunding of safety improvements;
     (c) Ability to leverage additional nonstate revenue sources;
     (d) Contribute to the economic development of the corridor; and
     (e) Provide additional capacity to move people and goods safely.
     (2) The following projects, listed in order of priority, are eligible for special safety corridor account funding:
     (a) State route number 2 beginning near the junction with state route number 9 at milepost 5 to the King county line at Stevens Pass near milepost 64;
     (b) State route number 97 beginning at milepost 0 to milepost 63; and
     (c) State route number 20 beginning near Sedro Woolley at milepost 64 to near Newport at milepost 436.
     Moneys deposited in the special safety corridor account may be used for payment of debt service on bonds the proceeds of which are used to finance special safety corridor projects under this section.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3 This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and takes effect immediately.

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