HOUSE BILL ANALYSIS

                  HB 1301

Title:  An act relating to making technical corrections to the Revised Code of Washington.

Brief Description:  Making technical corrections to the Revised Code of Washington.

Sponsors:  Representatives Sheahan, Appelwick and Hickel; by request of Statute Law Committee.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON LAW & JUSTICE

Staff:  Trudes Hutcheson (786-7384).

Background:  In a given legislative session, two or more bills may amend the same section of the Revised Code of Washington without reference to the others.  This is often called Adouble@ or Amultiple@ amendments.  Usually there are no substantive conflicts 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.  In addition, one bill may amend a section, and another bill may repeal that section.  When both bills pass, the Code Reviser may decodify the section which was repealed and make a note of it in the code. 

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.

The statute law committee reviews the code and recommends legislation to make technical corrections, including reconciling multiple amendments and deleting obsolete references in the code.

Summary of Bill:  Various sections of the code are reenacted to merge multiple amendments made in previous legislative sessions.  Various sections are amended to reinsert language inadvertently deleted.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

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

                 Office of Program Research