The commissioner shall designate a treasurer and custodian of the unemployment compensation fund and of the administrative contingency fund, who shall administer such funds in accordance with the directions of the commissioner and shall issue his or her warrants upon them in accordance with such regulations as the commissioner shall prescribe. The treasurer and custodian shall maintain within the unemployment compensation fund three separate accounts as follows:

(1) a clearing account,

(2) an unemployment trust fund account, and

(3) a benefit account.

All moneys payable to the unemployment compensation fund, upon receipt thereof by the commissioner, shall be forwarded to the treasurer, who shall immediately deposit them in the clearing account. Refunds payable pursuant to the provisions of this title from the unemployment compensation fund may be paid from the clearing account upon warrants issued by the treasurer under the direction of the commissioner: PROVIDED, HOWEVER, That refunds of interest or penalties on delinquent contributions shall be paid from the administrative contingency fund upon warrants issued by the treasurer under the direction of the commissioner.

After clearance thereof, all other moneys in the clearing account shall be immediately deposited with the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States to the credit of the account of this state in the unemployment trust fund, established and maintained pursuant to section 904 of the social security act, as amended, any provisions of law in this state relating to the deposit, administration, release, or disbursement of moneys in the possession or custody of this state to the contrary notwithstanding.

The benefit account shall consist of all moneys requisitioned from this state’s account in the unemployment trust fund. Moneys in the clearing and benefit accounts and in the administrative contingency fund shall not be commingled with other state funds, but shall be deposited by the treasurer, under the direction of the commissioner, in any bank or public depository in which general funds of the state may be deposited, but no public deposit insurance charge or premium shall be paid out of the fund.

Such moneys shall be secured by said bank or public depository to the same extent and in the same manner as required by the general depository law of the state and collateral pledged shall be maintained in a separate custody account.

The treasurer shall give a bond conditioned upon the faithful performance of his or her duties as a custodian of the funds in an amount fixed by the director of the *department of general administration and in a form prescribed by law or approved by the attorney general. Premiums for said bond shall be paid from the administration fund. All sums recovered on official bonds for losses sustained by the unemployment compensation fund shall be deposited in such fund. All sums recovered on official bonds for losses sustained by the administrative contingency fund shall be deposited in such fund.

*Reviser’s note: The “department of general administration” was renamed the “department of enterprise services” by 2011 1st sp.s. c 43 § 107.

Effective dates—1993 c 226 §§ 10, 12, and 14: See note following RCW 50.16.010.

Conflict with federal requirements—Severability—Application—1993 c 226: See notes following RCW 50.16.010.

Conflict with federal requirements—Effective dates—Construction—1983 1st ex.s. c 23: See notes following RCW 50.04.073.

Powers and duties of director of enterprise services as to official bonds: RCW 43.19.784.