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SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL NO. 4525
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AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE
C 323 L 86 PV
State of Washington 49th Legislature 1986 Regular Session
By Senate Committee on Governmental Operations (originally sponsored by Senators Bottiger and McDermott)
Read first time 2/5/86.
AN ACT Relating to legal representation of the legislature; and adding a new section to chapter 43.10 RCW.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 43.10 RCW to read as follows:
The legislature may employ or retain counsel of its own choosing. However, the legislature shall notify the attorney general whenever it makes a decision to use the services of such counsel to represent it or any of its members in a particular judicial or administrative proceeding. With respect to any such proceeding where the legislature has not so notified the attorney general, the attorney general shall represent the legislature until so notified. For purposes of this section, "legislature" means the senate and house of representatives together, either the senate or the house of representatives by itself, or any committee or entity of the legislative branch having the authority to select its own employees. The major purposes of this section are to confirm and implement in statute law the constitutional power of the legislative branch to select its own counsel.