S-0636.2/91       _______________________________________________

                                 SENATE BILL 5209

                  _______________________________________________

State of Washington              52nd Legislature             1991 Regular Session

By Senators Vognild, Sellar, Rasmussen, Matson, Snyder and Patterson.

Read first time January 24, 1991.  Referred to Committee on Transportation.Revising provisions relating to the legislative transportation committee.

     AN ACT Relating to the legislative transportation committee; and amending RCW 44.40.010.

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

     Sec. 1.  RCW 44.40.010 and 1980 c 87 s 39 are each amended to read as follows:

     The joint fact-finding committee on highways, streets, and bridges originally created by chapter 111, Laws of 1947, recreated and renamed the joint committee on highways by chapter 3, Laws of 1963 extraordinary session, is hereby recreated and renamed the legislative transportation committee.  The renaming of said committee shall not affect any powers invested in it or its duties imposed upon it by any other statute.  All appropriations made to the committee under its former name shall continue to be available to said committee as renamed, the legislative transportation committee.  The committee shall consist of ((eleven)) twelve senators to be appointed by the president of the senate and twelve members of the house of representatives to be appointed by the speaker thereof.  Not more than six members from each house shall be from the same political party.  A list of appointees shall be submitted before the close of each regular legislative session during an odd-numbered year or any successive special session convened by the governor or the legislature prior to the close of such regular session or successive special session(s) for confirmation of senate members, by the senate, and house members, by the house.  Vacancies occurring shall be filled by the appointing authority.  All such vacancies shall be filled from the same political party and from the same house as the member whose seat was vacated.

The chair shall be elected by the membership of the committee.  The chair shall be elected biennially.  Each succeeding chair shall be from the opposite house of the current chair, with the first chair elected from the membership appointed at the close of the 1991 legislative session, or any successive special session convened by the governor or the legislature, to be from the senate.