S-4194               _______________________________________________

                                                   SENATE BILL NO. 6369

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              50th Legislature                              1988 Regular Session

By Senators Nelson, Pullen, Vognild and Talmadge

Read first time 1/19/88 and referred to Committee on Law & Justice.

AN ACT Relating to public office funds; and amending RCW 42.17.243.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

        Sec. 1.  Section 5, chapter 336, Laws of 1977 ex. sess. and RCW 42.17.243 are each amended to read as follows:

          (1) Elected and appointed officials required to report under RCW 42.17.240((,)) shall report for themselves and for members of their immediate family to the commission any contributions received during the preceding calendar year for the officials' use in defraying nonreimbursed public office related expenses.  Contributions reported under this section shall be referred to as a "public office fund" and shall not be transferred to a political committee nor used to promote or oppose a candidate or ballot proposition, other than as provided by subsection (3) (a) of this section.  For the purposes of this section, contributions shall include reimbursements from or payments by persons, other than the state of Washington or any agency, for travel expenses.

          A report shall be filed within one month after the end of each calendar quarter during ((the month of January of any year following a year in)) which such contributions were received for or expenditures made from a public office fund.  The report shall include:

          (a) The name and address of each contributor;

          (b) A description of each contribution, including the date on which it was received and its amount or, if its dollar value is unascertainable, an estimate of its fair market value; and

          (c) A description of each expenditure made from a public office fund, including the name and address of the recipient, the amount, and the date of each such expenditure.

          (2) No report under subsection (1) of this section shall be required if:

          (a) The receipt of the contribution has been reported pursuant to RCW 42.17.065 (continuing political committee reports) or RCW 42.17.090 (political committee reports); or

          (b) The contribution is in the form of meals, refreshments, or entertainment given in connection with official appearances or occasions where public business was discussed.

          (3) Any funds which remain in a public office fund after all permissible public office related expenses have been paid may only be disposed of in one or more of the following ways:

          (a) Returned to a contributor in an amount not to exceed that contributor's original contribution; or

          (b) Donated to a charitable organization registered in accordance with chapter 19.09 RCW; or

          (c) Transferred to the state treasurer for deposit in the general fund.