Washington § 50.40.071 - Accessible communities account — Creation.

(1) The accessible communities account is created in the custody of the state treasurer. One hundred dollars of the assessment imposed under RCW 46.19.050 (2), (3), and (4) must be deposited into the account. Any reduction in the penalty or fine and assessment imposed under section 6, chapter 215, Laws of 2010 shall be applied proportionally between the penalty or fine and the assessment.

(2) The account is subject to the allotment procedures under chapter 43.88 RCW, but an appropriation is not required for expenditures. Only the commissioner may authorize expenditures from the account.

(3) Expenditures from the account may be used for promoting greater awareness of disability issues and improved access for and inclusion and acceptance of persons with disabilities in communities in the state of Washington, including:

(a) Reimbursing travel, per diem, and reasonable accommodation for county accessible community advisory committee meetings and committee sponsored activities including, but not limited to, supporting the involvement of people with disabilities and disability organizations in emergency planning and emergency preparedness activities;

(b) Establishing and maintaining an accessible communities website;

(c) Providing training or technical assistance for county accessible community advisory committees;

(d) A grant program for funding proposals developed and submitted by county accessible community advisory committees to promote greater awareness of disability issues and acceptance, inclusion, and access for persons with disabilities within the community;

(e) Reimbursing the state agency that provides administrative support to the governor's committee on disability issues and employment for costs associated with implementing chapter 215, Laws of 2010; and

(f) Programming changes to the judicial information system accounting module required for disbursement of funds to this account.

Intent—Effective date—2011 c 171: See notes following RCW 4.24.210.

Findings—2010 c 215: "The legislature finds that when people who have disabilities are welcomed and included as members of our communities and provided with equal access to the opportunities available to others, their participation enriches those communities, enhances the strength of those communities' diversity, and contributes toward the economic vitality of those communities. The legislature further finds that more than nine hundred thousand Washington state residents with disabilities continue to face barriers to full participation that could be easily eliminated." [ 2010 c 215 s 1.]