S-2869.1 _______________________________________________
SENATE BILL 5999
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State of Washington 52nd Legislature 1991 1st Special Session
By Senator McCaslin.
Read first time June 21, 1991. Referred to Committee on Rules.
AN ACT Relating to the frequency of revising elected officials' salaries; and amending RCW 43.03.310.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1. RCW 43.03.310 and 1986 c 155 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) The citizens' commission on salaries for elected officials shall study the relationship of salaries to the duties of members of the legislature, all elected officials of the executive branch of state government, and all judges of the supreme court, court of appeals, superior courts, and district courts, and shall fix the salary for each respective position.
(2) Except as provided otherwise in this section, the commission shall be solely responsible for its own organization, operation, and action and shall enjoy the fullest cooperation of all state officials, departments, and agencies.
(3) Members of the commission shall receive no compensation for their services, but shall be eligible to receive a subsistence allowance and travel expenses pursuant to RCW 43.03.050 and 43.03.060.
(4) The members of the commission shall elect a chairperson from among their number. The commission shall set a schedule of salaries by an affirmative vote of not less than eight members of the commission.
(5) The commission shall file its initial schedule of salaries for the elected officials with the secretary of state no later than the first Monday in June, 1987, and shall file a schedule not less than biennially thereafter. Each such schedule shall be filed in legislative bill form, shall be assigned a chapter number and published with the session laws of the legislature, and shall be codified by the statute law committee. The signature of the chairperson of the commission shall be affixed to each schedule submitted to the secretary of state. The chairperson shall certify that the schedule has been adopted in accordance with the provisions of state law and with the rules, if any, of the commission. Such schedules shall become effective ninety days after the filing thereof, except as provided in Article XXVIII, section 1 of the state Constitution. State laws regarding referendum petitions shall apply to such schedules to the extent consistent with Article XXVIII, section 1 of the state Constitution. The commission may file a schedule more frequently than biennially if it determines that one or more officials' salaries should be readjusted or in order to establish a new schedule of salaries if a referendum is sustained.
(6) Prior to the filing of any salary schedule, the commission shall hold no fewer than four public hearings thereon within the four months immediately preceding the filing.
(7) All meetings, actions, hearings, and business of the commission shall be subject in full to the open public meetings act, chapter 42.30 RCW.
(8) Salaries of the officials referred to in subsection (1) of this section that are in effect on January 12, 1987, shall continue until modified by the commission under this section.