SENATE BILL REPORT

                   HB 1063

              As Reported By Senate Committee On:

                 Law & Justice, March 16, 1995

Title:  An act relating to technical corrections.

Brief Description:  Making technical corrections.

Sponsors:  Representatives Padden and Mastin; by request of Law Revision Commission.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  Law & Justice:  3/16/95 [DP].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON LAW & JUSTICE

Majority Report:  Do pass.

  Signed by Senators Smith, Chair; Haugen, Johnson, Long, McCaslin, Roach and Schow.

Staff:  Lidia Mori (786-7755)

Background:  In a given legislative session, two or more bills may amend the same section of the Revised Code of Washington.  When this happens, and neither bill refers to or incorporates the changes of the other, a so-called "double" or "multiple" amendment occurs.  Most often, there is no substantive conflict between the multiple amendments to a section of the code.  However, sometimes even though there is no substantive conflict, merging multiple amendments may require some restructuring of a section for grammatical or other reasons.

Over the years, changes in the designations of various agencies and entities have been made in the code.  Occasionally, older and now obsolete references to previous designations remain. 

Sometimes a single section of the code may contain obsolete references and may also have been the subject of multiple amendments.  For instance, a section in the election code was amended twice in 1993.  That same section contains a reference to the "state central committee" as the entity to which information on registered voters is to be sent.  Another section of the election code, however, had previously been amended to allow not just the central committees, but "political party organizations" to request that information.  Thus, the section on who is to receive the information is out of date with the section on who may request the information.

Sometimes provisions of the code remain even though the substance of the provisions is obsolete.  For instance, in 1977 the Legislature abolished the "state printing and duplicating committee."  However, the provision that abolished the committee, and several related provisions, remain in the code. 

The Law Revision Commission is charged with reviewing the code and suggesting improvements to the Legislature.  The commission has identified a number of technical corrections, including reconciling multiple amendments and deleting obsolete references, that it is recommending to the Legislature.

Summary of Bill:  Various sections of the Revised Code of Washington are reenacted to merge multiple amendments made in previous legislative sessions.  Various obsolete references are removed or corrected.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

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

Testimony For:  This bill combines seven bills that have been passed out of committee previously.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Marjorie Rombaugh, Law Revision Committee (pro).