HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  HB 2513

             As Reported By House Committee On:

                  Government Administration

Title:  An act relating to candidates' and voters' pamphlets.

Brief Description:  Revising laws on candidates' pamphlets.

Sponsors:  Representatives Keiser, D. Schmidt, Scott and Kenney.

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Government Administration:  1/27/98, 2/3/98 [DPS].

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION

Majority Report:  The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  Signed by 12 members:  Representatives D. Schmidt, Chairman; D. Sommers, Vice Chairman; Scott, Ranking Minority Member; Gardner, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Doumit; Dunn; Dunshee; Murray; Smith; L. Thomas; Wensman and Wolfe.

Staff:  Steve Lundin (786-7127).

Background:  The Secretary of State is required to prepare state candidates= pamphlets and voters= pamphlets and distribute a copy of a pamphlet to each place of residence in the state.  Whenever possible, a state candidates= pamphlet is combined with a state voters= pamphlet.

A state candidates= pamphlet is prepared with information on each federal and state office included on the ballot at each general election held in an even-numbered year.  This includes nominees for the following offices that are voted upon on both a statewide and less than statewide basis: President, United States Senator, United States Representative, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Commissioner of Public Lands, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Insurance Commissioner, State Treasurer, State Auditor, Justice of the Supreme Court, judge of the court of appeals, and superior court judge.

A state candidates= pamphlet is only prepared for a general election held in an odd-numbered year to fill a vacancy in statewide offices.  A state candidates= pamphlet is not prepared for a general election in an odd-numbered year if only a state legislative or Congressional vacancy is to be filled.

A voters= pamphlet is prepared for any election when a state ballot measure is considered.

Counties, first-class cities, and code cities are authorized to prepare and distribute local voters= pamphlets for any primary, general election, or special election and include information on local ballot measures and candidates or nominees for local office.

Summary of Substitute Bill:  Requirements to publish and distribute state candidates= pamphlets are expanded.

A state candidate=s pamphlet is required to be published and distributed for each general election held in either an even-numbered or odd-numbered year whenever a state official or federal official is to be elected or a vacancy in such an office is to be filled.  A candidates= pamphlet that only includes nominees for the United States Congress, the state Legislature, court of appeals judge, or superior court judge, need only be distributed to each individual place of residence in the applicable county, counties, legislative district, or judicial district.

If sufficient time exists and sufficient money has been appropriated, the Secretary of State must publish and distribute a candidates= pamphlet for a primary to nominate persons for a federal or state office or to nominate persons to be elected to fill a vacancy in a federal or state office.

In lieu of publishing a state candidates= pamphlet for less than statewide offices,  the Secretary of State may contract with a county auditor to include information on persons running for those offices in a county voters= pamphlet.  The amount paid to a county may not exceed the county=s actual cost for including this information.

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill:  Clarifies that superior court judges and court of appeals judges appear in the state candidates= pamphlet.  A county may only charge its actual costs for including the information.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

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

Testimony For:  This corrects a minor oversight.  Local voters= pamphlet don=t include state offices and are the only pamphlets prepared in odd-numbered years.  Voters need this information.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  (Pro): Representative Keiser, prime sponsor; Shawn Merchant, Office of the Secretary of State; Sam Reed, Thurston County Auditor; and Sherry Bockwinkel (CLEAN), Citizens for Leaders with Ethics and Accountability Now (con).