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Committee hears technical cleanup bill for Secretary of State filings
Summary
The Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee heard testimony on House Bill 2248, which would standardize several Secretary of State filings, redirect some fee deposits, and remove a statutory certificate requirement for trademark assignments; staff said a fiscal note has been requested.
A legislative committee on Friday heard from staff and Secretary of State officials about House Bill 2248, a package of technical changes to statutes governing business and nonprofit filings.
Adi Adams, staff to the Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee, said the bill updates provisions of the Uniform Business Organization Code, clarifies who must file initial reports, and changes where certain fees are deposited. "Under House Bill 2,248, annual license fee amounts over $50 are instead deposited into the Secretary of State's revolving fund," Adams said in a staff report, noting current practice deposits some fees into the general fund.
The bill would remove an existing exception that exempted nonprofit corporations and limited liability partnerships from filing an initial report within 120 days of formation, making those entities subject to the same initial-report requirement as other entities. It also adds that employing a remote worker who resides in Washington does not by itself constitute "doing business" in the state for purposes of foreign-entity registration.
HB 2248 would change certain trademark procedures administered by the Secretary of State. The staff summary noted that, under current practice, a trademark assignment is recorded and a new certificate is issued to the assignee upon payment of a $5 fee; the substitute would remove the statutory requirement to issue that new certificate while preserving the public record of assignment and the office's ability to track assignees.
Constance Parbon, public and government affairs administrator in the Secretary of State's Corporations and Charities Division, told the committee the measure is intended to reduce confusion and provide clearer guidance to customers at the agency's Tumwater office and its newly opened Cheney location. "We're asking for this bill as ... just that cleanup of the technical language," Parbon said.
The staff report also described changes related to the state's Trademark Registration Act and the Secretary of State's international student exchange program, including a new reinstatement procedure after termination of a placement organization's registration.
A fiscal note for the bill has been requested but was not yet available at the hearing. The committee concluded public testimony on HB 2248 and moved into an executive session to consider other bills.
