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               ENGROSSED SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 6420

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State of Washington      54th Legislature     1996 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Government Operations (originally sponsored by Senators Heavey, Roach, Oke, Finkbeiner and Hochstatter)

Read first time 02/02/96.

Restricting first class and business class travel at public expense.

    AN ACT Relating to travel by public officers and employees; and adding a new section to chapter 42.04 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 42.04 RCW to read as follows:

    First class and business class commercial air carrier accommodations may not be used by any state or local government officer, whether elected or appointed, and any state or local government employee who travels by commercial airlines in the discharge of the duties of his or her position or employment at public expense unless otherwise required as a reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities or where an emergency would warrant such travel.  An officer or employee of a local government may be authorized to travel by business or equivalent class in cases of international travel if (1) any single leg of the trip involves a commercial airline flight of at least ten hours duration, (2) the traveler engages in official business within twelve hours of arrival at the destination, and (3) business or equivalent class travel on the particular trip is expressly authorized at a public meeting by the governing body of the local government for which the traveler is an officer or employee.

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