S-3516.1 _______________________________________________
SENATE BILL 6240
_______________________________________________
State of Washington 55th Legislature 1998 Regular Session
By Senator Stevens
Read first time 01/14/98. Referred to Committee on Law & Justice.
AN ACT Relating to superior court reporters; and amending RCW 2.32.180.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1. RCW 2.32.180 and 1992 c 189 s 6 are each amended to read as follows:
((It
shall be and is the duty of)) (1) Each ((and every)) superior
court judge ((in counties or judicial districts in the state of Washington
having a population of over thirty-five thousand inhabitants to appoint, or
said judge may, in any county or judicial district having a population of over
twenty-five thousand and less than thirty-five thousand,)) may
appoint a stenographic reporter to be attached to the judge's court who shall
have had at least three years' experience as a skilled, practical reporter, or
who upon examination shall be able to report and transcribe accurately one
hundred and seventy-five words per minute of the judge's charge or two hundred
words per minute of testimony each for five consecutive minutes; said test of
proficiency, in event of inability to meet qualifications as to length of time
of experience, to be given by an examining committee composed of one judge of
the superior court and two official reporters of the superior court of the
state of Washington, appointed by the president judge of the superior court judges
association of the state of Washington((: PROVIDED, That a stenographic
reporter shall not be required to be appointed for the seven additional judges
of the superior court authorized for appointment by section 1, chapter 323,
Laws of 1987, the additional superior court judge authorized by section 1,
chapter 66, Laws of 1988, the additional superior court judges authorized by
sections 2 and 3, chapter 328, Laws of 1989, the additional superior court
judges authorized by sections 1 and 2, chapter 186, Laws of 1990, or the
additional superior court judges authorized by sections 1 through 5, chapter
189, Laws of 1992)). Appointment of a stenographic reporter is not
required ((for any additional superior court judge authorized after July 1,
1992)).
(2)
The initial judicial appointee to the examining committee shall serve
for a period of six years; the two initial reporter appointees shall serve for
a period of four years and two years, respectively, from September 1, 1957;
thereafter on expiration of the first terms of service, each newly appointed
member of said examining committee to serve for a period of six years. In the
event of death or inability of a member to serve, the president judge shall
appoint a reporter or judge, as the case may be, to serve for the balance of
the unexpired term of the member whose inability to serve caused such vacancy.
The examining committee shall grant certificates to qualified applicants.
Administrative and procedural rules ((and regulations)) shall be ((promulgated))
adopted by said examining committee, subject to approval by the said
president judge.
(3) The stenographic reporter upon appointment shall
thereupon become an officer of the court and shall be designated and known as
the official reporter for the court or judicial district for which he or she is
appointed((: PROVIDED, That)). In no event shall there be
appointed more official reporters in any one county or judicial district than
there are superior court judges in such county or judicial district; the appointments
in each county with a population of one million or more shall be made by the
majority vote of the judges in said county acting en banc; the appointments in
each county with a population of from one hundred twenty-five thousand to less
than one million may be made by each individual judge therein or by the judges
in said county acting en banc. Each official reporter so appointed ((shall
hold office during the term of office of the judge or judges appointing him or
her, but)) may be removed for incompetency, misconduct, or neglect
of duty, and before entering upon the discharge of his or her duties shall take
an oath to perform faithfully the duties of his or her office, and file a bond
in the sum of two thousand dollars for the faithful discharge of his or her
duties. ((Such reporter in each court is hereby declared to be a necessary
part of the judicial system of the state of Washington.))
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