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               ENGROSSED SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 6068

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State of Washington      55th Legislature     1997 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Ways & Means (originally sponsored by Senators West, Spanel and Oke; by request of Secretary of State)

Read first time 04/02/97.

Enhancing legal advertising of state measures.   

    AN ACT Relating to legal advertising of state measures; and amending RCW 29.27.072 and RCW 29.27.074.

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

    Sec. 1.  RCW 29.27.072 and 1967 c 96 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

Subject to the availability of funds appropriated specifically for that purpose, the secretary of state shall ((cause)) publish notice of the proposed constitutional amendments and ((laws authorizing)) other state ((debts)) measures that are to be submitted to the people ((to be published at least)) at a state general election up to four times during the four weeks ((next)) immediately preceding ((the)) that election in every legal newspaper in the state ((and)).  The secretary of state shall supplement this publication ((thereof by)) with an equivalent amount of radio and television ((broadcast as provided in RCW 65.16.130, 65.16.140, and 65.16.150)) advertisements.

    Sec. 2.  RCW 29.27.074 and 1967 c 96 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

    The newspaper and broadcast notice ((provided for in)) required by Article XXIII, section 1, of the state Constitution and RCW 29.27.072 ((shall)) may set forth all or some of the following information:

    (1) A legal identification of the state measure to be voted upon.

    (2) The official ballot title of such state measure.

    (3) A brief statement explaining the constitutional provision or state law as it presently exists.

    (4) A brief statement explaining the effect of the state measure should it be approved.

    (5) The total number of votes cast for and against the measure in both the state senate and house of representatives.

No individual candidate or incumbent public official may be referred to or identified in these notices or advertisements.

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