H-1631              _______________________________________________

                                           HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 43

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State of Washington                              49th Legislature                              1985 Regular Session

By Representatives Dobbs, B. Williams, Ballard, Schmidt, Sanders, Hastings, Hargrove, Fuhrman, Thomas, J. Williams, Schoon, Holland, Bond and May

Read first time 2/8/85 and referred to Committee on State Government.

BE IT RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON, IN LEGISLATIVE SESSION ASSEMBLED:

          THAT, At the next general election to be held in this state there shall be submitted to the qualified voters of the state for their approval and ratification, or rejection, an amendment to Article III of the Constitution of the state of Washington by adding a new section to read as follows:

Article III, section ___.  (1) In any fiscal year, the rate of growth in the number of full time equivalent employees of the state shall not exceed seventy percent of the rate of growth in the population of the state during the preceding calendar year, as determined by the office of financial management or successor agency.

          (2) A decline in population in the state shall require a reduction in the level of state employment during the fiscal year following the year in which the population decline occurred.

          (3) "Full time equivalent employees" is based on two thousand eighty hours of employment per employee per year.  The term includes all employees of state government, regardless of funding source.

          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the secretary of state shall cause notice of the foregoing constitutional amendment to be published at least four times during the four weeks next preceding the election in every legal newspaper in the state.