S-0424.1  _______________________________________________

                   SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 8204

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      54th Legislature     1995 Regular Session

By Senator Quigley

Read first time 01/11/95.  Referred to Committee on Government Operations.

Amending the Constitution to eliminate the position of commissioner of public lands.

    BE IT RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON, IN LEGISLATIVE SESSION ASSEMBLED:

    THAT, At the next general election to be held in this state there shall be submitted to the qualified voters of the state for their approval and ratification, or rejection, an amendment to Article III of the Constitution of the state of Washington by repealing section 23 thereof in its entirety; and an amendment to Article III, sections 1, 3, 24, and 25 of the Constitution of the state of Washington to read as follows:

    Article III, section 1.  Executive department.  The executive department shall consist of a governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer, auditor, attorney general, and a superintendent of public instruction, ((and a commissioner of public lands,)) who shall be severally chosen by the qualified electors of the state at the same time and place of voting as for the members of the legislature.

    Article III, section 3.   Other executive officers, terms of office.   The lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer, auditor, attorney general, and superintendent of public instruction, ((and commissioner of public lands,)) shall hold their offices for four years respectively, and until their successors are elected and qualified.

    Article III, section 24.  Records, where kept, etc.  The governor, secretary of state, treasurer, auditor, superintendent of public instruction, ((commissioner of public lands)) and attorney general shall severally keep the public records, books and papers relating to their respective offices, at the seat of government, at which place also the governor, secretary of state, treasurer and auditor shall reside.

    Article III, section 25.  Qualifications, compensation, offices which may be abolished.  No person, except a citizen of the United States and a qualified elector of this state, shall be eligible to hold any state office.  The compensation for state officers shall not be increased or diminished during the term for which they shall have been elected.  The legislature may in its discretion abolish the offices of the lieutenant governor((,)) and auditor ((and commissioner of public lands)).

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the foregoing amendment shall be construed as a single amendment within the meaning of Article XXIII, section 1 of the state Constitution.

    The legislature finds that the changes contained in the foregoing amendment constitute a single integrated plan for the purposes of abolishing the position of commissioner of public lands.  If the foregoing amendment is held to be separate amendments, this joint resolution shall be void in its entirety and shall be of no further force and effect.

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the secretary of state shall cause notice of the foregoing constitutional amendment to be published at least four times during the four weeks next preceding the election in every legal newspaper in the state.

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