H-1853              _______________________________________________

                                  SUBSTITUTE HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 6

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              49th Legislature                              1985 Regular Session

By House Committee on State Government (originally sponsored by Representatives Ehlers, S. Wilson, J. King, Ballard, Hine, G. Nelson, Belcher, Barrett, Grimm, Crane, Armstrong, Allen, Gallagher, Hankins, Leonard, May, D. Nelson, Holland, O'Brien, Winsley, Lewis, Silver, Day, B. Williams, Miller and Isaacson)

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

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) All agencies of the executive department of state government and their respective functions, except agencies headed by state-wide elected officials, shall be allocated among and within not more than twenty-five principal agencies.  Each principal agency shall be headed by a single executive appointed by the governor.

          (2) In addition to the principal agencies under subsection (1) of this section, there may be established not more than twenty independent agencies having regulatory or quasi judicial functions.  Such functions may, however, also be vested in principal agencies.  There also may be established any number of temporary boards, commissions, councils, or committees of not more than two years' duration.

          (3) Except for the constitutional functions of the state-wide elected offices, the governor may make such changes in the organization of the executive department or in the assignment of functions among its units as the governor considers necessary for efficient administration.  Changes that would modify statutory law regarding such organization or assignment shall be set forth in an executive order or orders and submitted to the legislature within the first fifteen calendar days of any session.  The legislature may not amend or otherwise alter an executive order which is pending before the legislature and submitted under this section.  The legislature may, within forty-five legislative session days after the submission, disapprove any such order by a resolution concurred in by a three-fifths majority of the members of either house.  If the legislature does not so disapprove such an order, the order shall take effect ninety days after the forty-five legislative session days have passed.  The first such executive order shall be submitted to the legislature no later than the fifteenth day of the legislative session convening in January 1987.  Additional procedures and requirements regarding the submission of such executive orders may be prescribed by the legislature.  Changes in statutory law affected by this section shall be considered as statutory law.

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.