H-0447

AN ACT Relating to public hospital districts; amending RCW 70.44.040; and creating a new section.

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

Sec. 1. RCW 70.44.040 and 1990 c 259 s 39 are each amended to read as follows:

The provisions of Title 29 RCW relating to elections shall govern public hospital districts, except that: (1) The total vote cast upon the proposition to form a hospital district shall exceed forty percent of the total number of votes cast in the precincts comprising the proposed district at the preceding general and county election; and (2) in public hospital districts encompassing portions of more than one county, the total vote cast upon the proposition to form the district shall exceed forty percent of the total number of votes cast in each portion of each county lying within the proposed district at the next preceding general and county election. If the public hospital district is coextensive with the limits of a county and if the county is not operating under a home rule charter, then, at the first election of commissioners and until any change is made in the boundaries of the public hospital district commissioner districts in accordance with RCW 29.70.100, one public hospital district commissioner shall be chosen from each of the three county commissioner districts of the county in which the public hospital district is located. If the public hospital district comprises only a portion of a county or encompasses portions of more than one county, or if the public hospital district is located in a county operating under a home rule charter, then the petition for the formation of the public hospital district shall describe three public hospital district commissioner districts, numbered consecutively, having approximately equal population and boundaries, following ward and precinct lines, as far as practicable, and, at the first election of commissioners and until any change is made in the boundaries of the public hospital district commissioner districts in accordance with RCW 29.70.100, one commissioner shall be elected from each of the public hospital district commissioner districts described in the petition. If the boundaries described in the petition for the formation of a public hospital district are changed prior to the election on the proposition for the formation of the public hospital district, then the auditor of the county in which the public hospital district is located or, if the public hospital district encompasses portions of more than one county, the auditor of the county in which the largest portion of the public hospital district is located shall redetermine the boundaries of the commissioner districts in accordance with the above provisions. Any candidate for a particular public hospital district commissioner district position must be a registered voter of that commissioner district. Public hospital district commissioners shall hold office for the term of six years and until their successors are elected and qualified, each term to commence on the first day in January following the election. At the election at which the proposition is submitted to the voters as to whether a district shall be formed, three commissioners shall be elected to hold office, respectively, for the terms of two, four, and six years. All candidates shall be voted upon by the entire district, and the candidate residing in commissioner district No. 1 receiving the highest number of votes in the hospital district shall hold office for the term of six years; the candidate residing in commissioner district No. 2 receiving the highest number of votes in the hospital district shall hold office for the term of four years; and the candidate residing in commissioner district No. 3 receiving the highest number of votes in the hospital district shall hold office for the term of two years. The first commissioners to be elected shall take office immediately when qualified in accordance with RCW 29.01.135. Each term of the initial commissioners shall date from the time above specified following the organizational election, but shall also include the period intervening between the organizational election and the first day of January following the next district general election: PROVIDED, That in public hospital districts ((encompassing portions of more than one county, the total vote cast upon the proposition to form the district shall exceed forty percent of the total number of votes cast in each portion of each county lying within the proposed district at the next preceding general county election. The portion of the proposed district located within each county shall constitute a separate commissioner district. There shall be three district commissioners whose terms shall be six years. Each district shall be designated by the name of the county in which it is located. All candidates for commissioners shall be voted upon by the entire district. Not more than one commissioner shall reside in any one district: PROVIDED FURTHER, That in the event there are only two districts then two commissioners may reside in one district. The term of each commissioner shall commence on the first day in January in each year following his election. At the election at which the proposition is submitted to the voters as to whether a district shall be formed, three commissioners shall be elected to hold office, respectively, for the terms of two, four, and six years. The candidate receiving the highest number of votes within the district, as constituted by the election, shall serve a term of six years; the candidate receiving the next highest number of votes shall hold office for a term of four years; and the candidate receiving the next highest number of votes shall hold office for a term of two years: PROVIDED FURTHER, That the holding of each such term of office shall be subject to the residential requirements for district commissioners hereinbefore set forth in this section)) created with five or seven commissioners pursuant to RCW 70.44.051 the commissioners shall be elected and the initial terms of office shall be determined as provided in RCW 70.44.055 and 70.44.057.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. This act shall not be construed as affecting any public hospital district created prior to the effective date of this act.