H-3318.2
HOUSE BILL 2664
State of Washington
66th Legislature
2020 Regular Session
ByRepresentatives Lovick, Klippert, Goodman, and Fey
Read first time 01/17/20.Referred to Committee on Public Safety.
AN ACT Relating to sheriff's office qualifications; amending RCW 29A.24.091 and 36.28.025; and adding a new section to chapter 43.101 RCW.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 43.101 RCW to read as follows:
(1) The criminal justice training commission shall establish and administer a sheriff preparation course for individuals who are not certified peace officers. The sheriff preparation course must be held at least once every four years.
(2) The criminal justice training commission must adopt rules to determine the duration and curricula to properly equip a person who is not a certified peace officer with the knowledge and skills necessary to occupy the office of sheriff.
(3) All costs associated with the sheriff preparation course not covered by the surcharge created in RCW 29A.24.091 must be entirely self-funded by those attending the course, and the commission must establish and assess a fee to each participant enrolled in the course.
Sec. 2. RCW 29A.24.091 and 2018 c 187 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) A filing fee of ten dollars shall accompany the declaration of candidacy for any office with a fixed annual salary of one thousand dollars or less. A filing fee equal to one percent of the annual salary of the office at the time of filing shall accompany the declaration of candidacy for any office with a fixed annual salary of more than one thousand dollars per annum. No filing fee need accompany a declaration of candidacy for precinct committee officer or any office for which compensation is on a per diem or per meeting attended basis, or any declaration of candidacy for a write-in candidate filed after the close of filing and more than eighteen days prior to a primary or election.
(2) A filing fee of twenty-five dollars shall accompany the declaration of candidacy for write-in candidates for any office with a fixed annual salary of one thousand dollars or less if filed eighteen days or less prior to a primary or election.
(3) A filing fee equal to one percent of the annual salary of the office at the time of filing shall accompany a declaration of candidacy for write-in candidates for any office with a fixed annual salary of more than one thousand dollars per annum if filed eighteen days or less prior to a primary or election.
(4) A candidate who lacks sufficient assets or income at the time of filing to pay the filing fee required by this section shall submit with his or her declaration of candidacy a filing fee petition. The petition shall contain not less than a number of signatures of registered voters equal to the number of dollars of the filing fee. The signatures shall be of voters registered to vote within the jurisdiction of the office for which the candidate is filing.
When the candidacy is for:
(a) A statewide office, the United States senate, or the United States house of representatives, the fee shall be paid to the secretary of state;
(b) A legislative or judicial office that includes territory from more than one county, the fee shall be paid to the secretary of state for equal division between the treasuries of the counties comprising the district;
(c) A legislative or judicial office that includes territory from only one county, the fee shall be paid to the county auditor;
(d) A city or town office, the fee shall be paid to the county auditor who shall transmit it to the city or town clerk for deposit in the city or town treasury.
(5) In addition to the fees established pursuant to this section, any person filing a declaration of candidacy for the office of sheriff must pay a filing fee surcharge equal to one-half of one percent of the annual salary of the office of sheriff at the time of filing to fund the sheriff preparation course established in section 1 of this act. The county auditor must remit the surcharge to the criminal justice training commission. A candidate for the office of sheriff submitting a filing fee petition pursuant to subsection (4) of this section must submit an additional number of unique signatures of voters registered to vote within the jurisdiction of the office of sheriff for which the candidate is filing equal to the number of dollars of the filing fee surcharge.
Sec. 3. RCW 36.28.025 and 1979 ex.s. c 153 s 6 are each amended to read as follows:
((A))(1) No person ((who))may file((s)) a declaration of candidacy for the office of sheriff after September 1, ((1979, shall have,))2020, without first producing:
(a) Valid documentation showing that the person is currently certified as a general authority peace officer in the state of Washington;
(b) A bona fide letter from the criminal justice training commission showing that the person has been approved by the commission to receive a peace officer certification exemption or waiver; or
(c) A certificate of completion not more than four years old of the sheriff preparation course pursuant to section 1 of this act.
(2) Within twelve months of assuming the office of sheriff, the newly elected sheriff must have a certificate of completion of a ((basic law enforcement))new sheriff training program which complies with standards adopted by the criminal justice training commission pursuant to RCW 43.101.080 ((and 43.101.160)).
(3) This ((requirement))section does not apply to persons holding the office of sheriff in any county on September 1, ((1979))2020.
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