H-4137.1  _______________________________________________

                          HOUSE BILL 2575

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      55th Legislature     1998 Regular Session

By Representatives Pennington, D. Schmidt, Lisk, Skinner, Honeyford, Carlson, Kessler and Mulliken

Read first time 01/15/98.  Referred to Committee on Government Administration.

Clarifying restrictions on public disclosure commission members' activities.

    AN ACT Relating to clarification of restrictions on public disclosure commission members' activities; and amending RCW 42.17.350.

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

    Sec. 1.  RCW 42.17.350 and 1984 c 287 s 74 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) There is hereby established a "public disclosure commission" which shall be composed of five members who shall be appointed by the governor, with the consent of the senate.  All appointees shall be persons of the highest integrity and qualifications.  No more than three members shall have an identification with the same political party.  ((The original members shall be appointed within sixty days after January 1, 1973.))

(2) The term of each member shall be five years ((except that the original five members shall serve initial terms of one, two, three, four, and five years, respectively, as designated by the governor)).  No member is eligible for appointment to more than one full term.  Any member may be removed by the governor, but only upon grounds of neglect of duty or misconduct in office.

(3) During his or her tenure, a member of the commission((, during his tenure, shall (1))) is prohibited from engaging in any of the following activities, either within or outside the state of Washington:

(a) ((hold)) Holding or ((campaign)) campaigning for elective office;

    (((2) be)) (b) Serving as an officer of any political party or political committee;

    (((3) permit)) (c) Permitting his or her name to be used((, or make)) in support of or in opposition to a candidate or proposition;

(d) Soliciting or making contributions((,)) to a candidate or in support of or in opposition to any candidate or proposition;

    (((4) participate)) (e) Participating in any way in any election campaign; or

    (((5) lobby or employ or assist)) (f) Lobbying, employing, or assisting a lobbyist((:  PROVIDED)), except that a member or the staff of the commission may lobby to the limited extent permitted by RCW 42.17.190 on matters directly affecting this chapter.  ((No member shall be eligible for appointment to more than one full term.))

(4) A vacancy on the commission shall be filled within thirty days of the vacancy by the governor, with the consent of the senate, and the appointee shall serve for the remaining term of his or her predecessor.  A vacancy shall not impair the powers of the remaining members to exercise all of the powers of the commission.

(5) Three members of the commission shall constitute a quorum.  The commission shall elect its own ((chairman)) chair and adopt its own rules of procedure in the manner provided in chapter 34.05 RCW.  ((Any member of the commission may be removed by the governor, but only upon grounds of neglect of duty or misconduct in office.))

(6) Members shall be compensated in accordance with RCW 43.03.250 and in addition shall be reimbursed for travel expenses incurred while engaged in the business of the commission as provided in RCW 43.03.050 and 43.03.060.  The compensation provided pursuant to this section shall not be considered salary for purposes of the provisions of any retirement system created pursuant to the general laws of this state.

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