H-3908.1

HOUSE BILL 2639

ByRepresentatives Caldier, Chambers, Davis, Corry, Macri, Rude, Robinson, and Doglio

AN ACT Relating to creating the home sharing support grant program; amending RCW 36.22.179 and 36.22.1791; and adding a new section to chapter 43.185C RCW.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 43.185C RCW to read as follows:

(1) The home sharing support grant program is created in the department. The purpose of this program is to provide financial support to nonprofit organizations that operate home sharing programs.

(2) The department shall manage, oversee, and evaluate home sharing support grant program applications and shall award grants annually. The department may establish application procedures and criteria for the receipt of grants.

(3) Grants awarded under this section may be used only for administrative costs of home sharing programs.

(4) For purposes of this section, "home sharing program" means a program operated by a nonprofit organization in which the organization assists homeless persons, or persons at risk of becoming homeless, with locating individuals seeking to share their residences and facilitates meetings between program applicants who may choose to enter into a home sharing arrangement on mutually agreeable terms. Services provided by home sharing programs may include, but are not limited to, screening of program applicants for compatibility, background checks of applicants, case management, and conflict resolution.

Sec. 2. RCW 36.22.179 and 2019 c 136 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) In addition to the surcharge authorized in RCW 36.22.178, and except as provided in subsection (3) of this section, an additional surcharge of sixty-two dollars shall be charged by the county auditor for each document recorded, which will be in addition to any other charge allowed by law. Except as provided in subsection (4) of this section, the funds collected pursuant to this section are to be distributed and used as follows:

(a) The auditor shall retain two percent for collection of the fee, and of the remainder shall remit sixty percent to the county to be deposited into a fund that must be used by the county and its cities and towns to accomplish the purposes of chapter 484, Laws of 2005, six percent of which may be used by the county for the collection and local distribution of these funds and administrative costs related to its homeless housing plan, and the remainder for programs which directly accomplish the goals of the county's local homeless housing plan, except that for each city in the county which elects as authorized in RCW 43.185C.080 to operate its own local homeless housing program, a percentage of the surcharge assessed under this section equal to the percentage of the city's local portion of the real estate excise tax collected by the county shall be transmitted at least quarterly to the city treasurer, without any deduction for county administrative costs, for use by the city for program costs which directly contribute to the goals of the city's local homeless housing plan; of the funds received by the city, it may use six percent for administrative costs for its homeless housing program.

(b) The auditor shall remit the remaining funds to the state treasurer for deposit in the home security fund account to be used as follows:

(i) The department may use twelve and one-half percent of this amount for administration of the program established in RCW 43.185C.020, including the costs of creating the statewide homeless housing strategic plan, measuring performance, providing technical assistance to local governments, and managing the homeless housing grant program.

(ii) The remaining eighty-seven and one-half percent of this amount must be used as follows:

(A) At least forty-five percent must be set aside for the use of private rental housing payments; and

(B) All remaining funds are to be used by the department to:

(I) Provide housing and shelter for homeless people including, but not limited to: Grants to operate, repair, and staff shelters; grants to operate transitional housing; partial payments for rental assistance; consolidated emergency assistance; overnight youth shelters; grants and vouchers designated for victims of human trafficking and their families; and emergency shelter assistance; ((and))

(II) Fund the home sharing support grant program established in section 1 of this act; and

(III) Fund the homeless housing grant program.

(2) A county issuing general obligation bonds pursuant to RCW 36.67.010, to carry out the purposes of subsection (1)(a) of this section, may provide that such bonds be made payable from any surcharge provided for in subsection (1)(a) of this section and may pledge such surcharges to the repayment of the bonds.

(3) The surcharge imposed in this section does not apply to (a) assignments or substitutions of previously recorded deeds of trust, (b) documents recording a birth, marriage, divorce, or death, (c) any recorded documents otherwise exempted from a recording fee or additional surcharges under state law, (d) marriage licenses issued by the county auditor, or (e) documents recording a federal, state, county, or city lien or satisfaction of lien.

(4) Ten dollars of the surcharge imposed under subsection (1) of this section must be distributed to the counties to carry out the purposes of subsection (1)(a) of this section.

(5) For purposes of this section, "private rental housing" means housing owned by a private landlord and includes housing owned by a nonprofit housing entity.

Sec. 3. RCW 36.22.1791 and 2019 c 136 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) In addition to the surcharges authorized in RCW 36.22.178 and 36.22.179, and except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, the county auditor shall charge an additional surcharge of eight dollars for each document recorded, which is in addition to any other charge allowed by law. The funds collected under this section are to be distributed and used as follows:

(a) The auditor shall remit ninety percent to the county to be deposited into a fund six percent of which may be used by the county for administrative costs related to its homeless housing plan, and the remainder for programs that directly accomplish the goals of the county's local homeless housing plan, except that for each city in the county that elects, as authorized in RCW 43.185C.080, to operate its own local homeless housing program, a percentage of the surcharge assessed under this section equal to the percentage of the city's local portion of the real estate excise tax collected by the county must be transmitted at least quarterly to the city treasurer for use by the city for program costs that directly contribute to the goals of the city's local homeless housing plan.

(b) The auditor shall remit the remaining funds to the state treasurer for deposit in the home security fund account. The department may use the funds for administering the program established in RCW 43.185C.020, including the costs of creating and updating the statewide homeless housing strategic plan, measuring performance, providing technical assistance to local governments, and managing the homeless housing grant program. Remaining funds may also be used to:

(i) Provide housing and shelter for homeless people including, but not limited to: Grants to operate, repair, and staff shelters; grants to operate transitional housing; partial payments for rental assistance; consolidated emergency assistance; overnight youth shelters; grants and vouchers designated for victims of human trafficking and their families; and emergency shelter assistance; ((and))

(ii) Fund the home sharing support grant program established in section 1 of this act; and

(iii) Fund the homeless housing grant program.

(2) The surcharge imposed in this section does not apply to assignments or substitutions of previously recorded deeds of trust or to documents recording a federal lien or satisfaction of lien.

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