HOUSE BILL REPORT

                 ESB 5837

             As Reported By House Committee On:

                    Government Operations

Title:  An act relating to confirmation of gubernatorial appointments.

Brief Description:  Removing the requirement for senate confirmation of certain gubernatorial appointments.

Sponsors:  Senators Snyder, Gaspard, Haugen and Spanel.

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Government Operations:  2/16/96, 2/23/96 [DPA].

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS

Majority Report:  Do pass as amended.  Signed by 9 members:  Representatives Reams, Chairman; Cairnes, Vice Chairman; Goldsmith, Vice Chairman; Hargrove; Honeyford; Hymes; Mulliken; D. Schmidt and Van Luven.

Minority Report:  Without recommendation.  Signed by 6 members:  Representatives Rust, Ranking Minority Member; Scott, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Conway; R. Fisher; Scheuerman and Wolfe.

Staff:  Scott White (786-7153).

Background:  Provisions are established in the state constitution and in statute outlining the Governor's authority for making appointments to public office.

The state constitution (Article 13, Section 1) provides that the Governor shall make appointments to educational, reformatory, and penal institutions, and that these appointments shall be confirmed by the Senate.

The Legislature has provided the Governor with statutory authority to appoint numerous other public officers, who are subject to confirmation only if so provided in statute.

Summary of Amended Bill:  A Joint Select Committee on the Confirmation of Gubernatorial Appointments is created, consisting of eight members, two from each of the four caucuses.  The committee shall make recommendations as to possible alternatives to the existing confirmation procedures and identify those positions whose appointees do not need confirmation by the Senate before December 1, 1996.

Amended Bill Compared to Original Bill:  The original bill eliminated the need for confirmation by the Senate of 128 gubernatorial appointments.  A striking amendment creates the Joint Select Committee on the Confirmation of Gubernatorial Appointments.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date of Amended Bill:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  The quality and depth of the confirmation process has suffered as a direct result of the high volume of appointments which require Senate confirmation.  A confirmation is treated the same as a bill and, as a result, the workload of the committee is dramatically increased.  Over 300 confirmations are scheduled to be processed in the Senate this session.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Senator Mary Margaret Haugen; and Marty Brown, Secretary of the Senate.