HOUSE BILL REPORT

HB 954

BYRepresentatives Pruitt, Fisher, Fisch, Leonard and Brekke

Making genderless designations in some of the elections statutes.

House Committe on Constitution, Elections & Ethics

Majority Report:     Do pass.  (7)

     Signed by Representatives Fisher, Chair; Pruitt, Vice Chair; Amondson, Barnes, Fisch, Leonard and Sanders.

House Staff:Kenneth Hirst (785-7105)

AS PASSED HOUSE MARCH 16, 1987

BACKGROUND:

State law permits any member of a major political party who is a registered voter to file a declaration of candidacy for the office of precinct committeeman for the person's party in that person's precinct.  The members of the county central committee, made up of such precinct committeemen, elect a chairman and vice chairman of the central committee.

Since July 1, 1983, all statutes, memorials, and resolutions enacted, adopted, or amended by the legislature have been directed by law to be written in gender-neutral terms unless a specification of gender is intended.  Measures failing to observe this directive are not invalid because of that failure.

SUMMARY:

References to the office of precinct committeeman and to central committee chairman and vice chairman in the Election Code are changed to being references to the office of precinct committee officer and to central committee chair and vice-chair respectively.  Certain other uses of the masculine gender are also made gender neutral.

Fiscal Note:    Not Requested.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:     Representative Pruitt.

House Committee - Testified Against: None Presented.

House Committee - Testimony For:     It is time to establish gender neutral titles for precinct committee and central committee offices.

House Committee - Testimony Against: None Presented.