HOUSE BILL REPORT

HB 151

BYRepresentatives Brekke, Winsley, Sutherland, H. Sommers, Leonard, Moyer, Scott, Padden, Holm and P. King; by request of  Department of Social and Health Services

Consolidating statutes regarding revenue recovery for social and health services.

House Committe on Human Services

Majority Report:     Do pass.  (9)

     Signed by Representatives Brekke, Chair; Scott, Vice Chair; Leonard, Moyer, Padden, H. Sommers, Sutherland, Wang and Winsley.

House Staff:Jean Wessman (786-7132)

AS PASSED HOUSE FEBRUARY 2, 1987

BACKGROUND:

The Department of Social and Health Services was created from several agencies such as Public Assistance, Institutions and Health in 1971.  Each of these agencies had their revenue collection statutes integrated into their own section of RCW.  For example, collection statutes for Public Assistance and Institutions were under separate titles.

This dispersal of collection statutes through many different titles has proven cumbersome.  It has created unnecessary duplication of procedures and confusion for the agency, the public and various legislative entities.

SUMMARY:

A new Chapter 43.20B RCW is created.  All recovery statutes of DSHS are consolidated into the new chapter with the exclusion of nursing home settlements and child support enforcement.

Primarily existing statutes were shifted intact into the new chapter.  The new sections 43 through 47 were created from revenue collection provisions purged from existing sections.  New Section 42 is the definitions section for the new chapter.  Minor housekeeping changes are made to delete obsolete or outdated references and redundancies covered within the definitions section.

Fiscal Note:    Attached.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:     Lucille Christensen, Director, Revenue, Department of Social and Health Services; and Steve Jones, Code Reviser's Office.

House Committee - Testified Against: None Presented.

House Committee - Testimony For:     This bill will collect in one new chapter, the currently scattered revenue collection provisions making administration of these provisions greatly simplified.

House Committee - Testimony Against: None Presented.