H-0303.2/91       _______________________________________________

                                  HOUSE BILL 1216

                  _______________________________________________

State of Washington              52nd Legislature             1991 Regular Session

By Representatives H. Sommers, Brough, R. Fisher, R. Meyers, Wilson, Anderson, Winsley, Pruitt, Bowman, Heavey, Ogden, Forner, Cantwell, Ferguson, Ebersole, Zellinsky, Haugen, Vance, Tate, Sprenkle, Paris and G. Fisher.

Read first time January 23, 1991.  Referred to Committee on Transportation.Removing geographical restrictions on transportation commission appointments.

     AN ACT Relating to membership qualification for the transportation commission; and amending RCW 47.01.051.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

     Sec. 1.  RCW 47.01.051 and 1977 ex.s. c 151 s 5 are each amended to read as follows:

     There is hereby created a transportation commission, which shall consist of seven members appointed by the governor, with the consent of the senate((.  The present five members of the highway commission shall serve as five initial members of the transportation commission until their terms of office as highway commission members would have expired.  The additional two members provided herein for the transportation commission shall be appointed for initial terms to expire on June 30, 1982, and June 30, 1983. Thereafter all terms shall be)), for terms of six years.  No elective state official or state officer or state employee shall be a member of the commission, and not more than four members of the commission shall at the time of appointment or thereafter during their respective terms of office be members of the same major political party.  ((At the time of appointment or thereafter during their respective terms of office, four members of the commission shall reside in the western part of the state and three members shall reside in the eastern part of the state as divided north and south by the summit of the Cascade mountains.))  No more than two members of the commission shall reside in the same county.  Commissioners shall not be removed from office by the governor before the expiration of their terms unless for a disqualifying change of residence or for cause based upon a determination of incapacity, incompetence, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office by the superior court of the state of Washington in and for Thurston county upon petition and show cause proceedings duly brought therefor in said court and directed to the commissioner in question.  No member shall be appointed for more than two consecutive terms.