wa-law.org > bill > 2023-24 > HB 1367 > Original Bill

HB 1367 - Homeless funding

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Section 1

  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 $62 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:

    1. The auditor shall retain two percent for collection of the fee, and of the remainder shall remit 60 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.

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

      1. The department may use 12.5 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.

      2. The remaining 87.5 percent of this amount must be used

by the department to:

(A) 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 including, but not limited to, assistance for private rental housing; consolidated emergency assistance; overnight youth shelters; grants and vouchers designated for victims of human trafficking and their families; and emergency shelter assistance; and

(B) Fund the homeless housing grant program.

  1. 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.

  2. 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, city, or water-sewer district, or wage lien or satisfaction of lien.

  3. $10 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.

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

Section 2

(1) The home security fund account is created in the state treasury, subject to appropriation. The state's portion of the surcharge established in RCW 36.22.179 and, 36.22.1791, and 36.22.176 must be deposited in the account. Expenditures from the account may be used only for homeless housing programs as described in this chapter, including the eviction prevention rental assistance program established in RCW 43.185C.185.


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