S-4058.1
SENATE BILL 6280
State of Washington 68th Legislature 2024 Regular Session
By Senators Braun, Boehnke, Dozier, Holy, Lovick, Schoesler, Torres,
Warnick, J. Wilson, and L. Wilson
Read first time 01/19/24. Referred to Committee on Transportation.
1 AN ACT Relating to parking privileges for veterans; and amending
2 RCW 46.19.010, 46.19.040, and 41.04.007.
3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
4 Sec. 1. RCW 46.19.010 and 2020 c 80 s 32 are each amended to
5 read as follows:
6 (1) A natural person who has a disability that meets one of the
7 following criteria may apply for special parking privileges:
8 (a) Cannot walk ((two hundred)) 200 feet without stopping to
9 rest;
10 (b) Is severely limited in ability to walk due to arthritic,
11 neurological, or orthopedic condition;
12 (c) Has such a severe disability that the person cannot walk
13 without the use of or assistance from a brace, cane, another person,
14 prosthetic device, wheelchair, or other assistive device;
15 (d) Uses portable oxygen;
16 (e) Is restricted by lung disease to an extent that forced
17 expiratory respiratory volume, when measured by spirometry, is less
18 than one liter per second or the arterial oxygen tension is less than
19 ((sixty)) 60 mm/hg on room air at rest;
20 (f) Impairment by cardiovascular disease or cardiac condition to
21 the extent that the person's functional limitations are classified as
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 1 class III or IV under standards accepted by the American heart
2 association;
3 (g) Has a disability resulting from an acute sensitivity to
4 automobile emissions that limits or impairs the ability to walk. The
5 personal physician, advanced registered nurse practitioner, or
6 physician assistant of the applicant shall document that the
7 disability is comparable in severity to the others listed in this
8 subsection;
9 (h) Has limited mobility and has no vision or whose vision with
10 corrective lenses is so limited that the person requires alternative
11 methods or skills to do efficiently those things that are ordinarily
12 done with sight by persons with normal vision;
13 (i) Has an eye condition of a progressive nature that may lead to
14 blindness; or
15 (j) Is restricted by a form of porphyria to the extent that the
16 applicant would significantly benefit from a decrease in exposure to
17 light.
18 (2) The disability must be determined by either:
19 (a) A licensed physician;
20 (b) An advanced registered nurse practitioner licensed under
21 chapter 18.79 RCW; or
22 (c) A physician assistant licensed under chapter 18.71A RCW.
23 (3) A health care practitioner listed under subsection (2) of
24 this section who is authorizing a parking permit for purposes of this
25 chapter must provide a signed written authorization: On a
26 prescription pad or paper, as defined in RCW 18.64.500; on office
27 letterhead; or by electronic means, as described by the director in
28 rule.
29 (4) The application for special parking privileges for persons
30 with disabilities must contain:
31 (a) The following statement immediately below the physician's,
32 advanced registered nurse practitioner's, or physician assistant's
33 signature: "A parking permit for a person with disabilities may be
34 issued only for a medical necessity that severely affects mobility or
35 involves acute sensitivity to light (RCW 46.19.010). An applicant or
36 health care practitioner who knowingly provides false information on
37 this application is guilty of a gross misdemeanor. The penalty is up
38 to ((three hundred sixty-four)) 364 days in jail and a fine of up to
39 $5,000 or both. In addition, the health care practitioner may be
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 1 subject to sanctions under chapter 18.130 RCW, the Uniform
2 Disciplinary Act"; and
3 (b) Other information as required by the department.
4 (5) A natural person who has a disability described in subsection
5 (1) of this section and is expected to improve within ((twelve)) 12
6 months may be issued a temporary placard for a period not to exceed
7 ((twelve)) 12 months. If the disability exists after ((twelve)) 12
8 months, a new temporary placard must be issued upon receipt of a new
9 application with certification from the person's physician as
10 prescribed in subsections (3) and (4) of this section. Special
11 license plates for persons with disabilities may not be issued to a
12 person with a temporary disability.
13 (6) A natural person who qualifies for special parking privileges
14 under this section must receive an identification card showing the
15 name and date of birth of the person to whom the parking privilege
16 has been issued and the serial number of the placard.
17 (7) A natural person who qualifies for permanent special parking
18 privileges under this section may receive one of the following:
19 (a) Up to two parking placards;
20 (b) One set of special license plates for persons with
21 disabilities if the person with the disability is the registered
22 owner of the vehicle on which the license plates will be displayed;
23 (c) One parking placard and one set of special license plates for
24 persons with disabilities if the person with the disability is the
25 registered owner of the vehicle on which the license plates will be
26 displayed; or
27 (d) One special parking year tab for persons with disabilities
28 and one parking placard.
29 (8) Parking placards and identification cards described in this
30 section must be issued free of charge.
31 (9) The parking placard and identification card must be
32 immediately returned to the department upon the placard holder's
33 death.
34 (10) A veteran, as defined in RCW 41.04.007, who meets the
35 following criteria may apply for special parking privileges:
36 (a) Has been rated by the veterans administration or the military
37 service from which the veteran was discharged and is receiving
38 service-connected compensation at a rate of at least 70 percent;
39 (b) Owns a service dog that is endorsed by a dog training entity
40 approved by the internal revenue service; and
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 1 (c) Has a written determination from a health care practitioner
2 listed under subsection (2) of this section who supports that the
3 veteran is currently diagnosed with the condition the service dog is
4 claimed to serve.
5 Sec. 2. RCW 46.19.040 and 2014 c 124 s 5 are each amended to
6 read as follows:
7 (1) Parking privileges for persons with disabilities must be
8 renewed at least every five years, as required by the director, by
9 satisfactory proof of the right to continued use of the privileges.
10 Satisfactory proof must include a signed written authorization from a
11 health care practitioner as required in RCW 46.19.010(3) or proof
12 that the applicant satisfies the criteria of RCW 46.19.010(10)(a).
13 (2) The department shall match and purge its database of parking
14 permits issued to persons with disabilities with available death
15 record information at least every ((twelve)) 12 months.
16 (3) The department shall adopt rules to administer the parking
17 privileges for persons with disabilities program.
18 Sec. 3. RCW 41.04.007 and 2017 c 97 s 1 are each amended to read
19 as follows:
20 "Veteran" includes every person who, at the time he or she seeks
21 the benefits of RCW 46.18.212, 46.18.235, 46.19.010, 72.36.030,
22 41.04.010, 73.04.090, or 43.180.250, has received an honorable
23 discharge, received a discharge for medical reasons with an honorable
24 record, where applicable, or is in receipt of a United States
25 department of defense discharge document DD form 214, NGB form 22, or
26 their equivalent or successor discharge paperwork, that characterizes
27 his or her service as honorable, and who has served in at least one
28 of the following capacities:
29 (1) As a member in any branch of the armed forces of the United
30 States, including the national guard and armed forces reserves, and
31 has fulfilled his or her initial military service obligation;
32 (2) As a member of the women's air forces service pilots;
33 (3) As a member of the armed forces reserves, national guard, or
34 coast guard, and has been called into federal service by a
35 presidential select reserve call up for at least one hundred eighty
36 cumulative days;
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 1 (4) As a civil service crewmember with service aboard a U.S. army
2 transport service or U.S. naval transportation service vessel in
3 oceangoing service from December 7, 1941, through December 31, 1946;
4 (5) As a member of the Philippine armed forces/scouts during the
5 period of armed conflict from December 7, 1941, through August 15,
6 1945; or
7 (6) A United States documented merchant mariner with service
8 aboard an oceangoing vessel operated by the department of defense, or
9 its agents, from both June 25, 1950, through July 27, 1953, in Korean
10 territorial waters and from August 5, 1964, through May 7, 1975, in
11 Vietnam territorial waters, and who received a military commendation.
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Statutes affected:
Original Bill: 46.19.010, 46.19.040, 41.04.007