S-0601.1  _______________________________________________

                 SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 8401

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      55th Legislature     1997 Regular Session

By Senators McDonald, Sellar and Johnson

Read first time 1/13/97.

Adopting procedures for joint bill sponsorship.   

    WHEREAS, The members of the legislature have recognized the importance of testing a system for the joint sponsorship of bills;

    NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, By the Senate of the State of Washington, the House of Representatives concurring, That during the 1997 legislative session twenty senate bills, memorials, or resolutions (hereinafter collectively referred to as "bills") may also be sponsored by a member or members of the House of Representatives; and twenty house bills may also be sponsored by a member or members of the Senate; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the jointly sponsored bills shall be allocated to the respective four caucuses as follows:  Senate majority caucus, ten bills; Senate minority caucus, ten bills; House of Representatives majority caucus, eleven bills; and the House of Representatives minority caucus, nine bills.  Each caucus may determine which of its members' bills are eligible to be jointly sponsored; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the course of Senate bills and House bills that are jointly sponsored is governed by the Permanent Rules of the Senate or House of Representatives as the case may be, the Joint Rules of the Senate and House of Representatives, and any concurrent resolution adopting cutoff dates; except (1) a jointly sponsored bill must be introduced by Tuesday, February 11, 1997, the thirtieth day of the 1997 Regular Session, and (2) members from the opposite house may not sign as sponsors of a jointly sponsored bill after the bill has been dropped into the hopper in the Office of the Code Reviser; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a jointly sponsored bill must be distinguishable from other bills by carrying a signature sheet and bill back of colors different that those used for other bills; and before producing a jointly sponsored bill, the Office of the Code Reviser must have received a written request signed by the Secretary of the Senate, Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives, and the leader of the caucus whose member is the first sponsor on the bill; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That prefiled bills may be redrafted and introduced as jointly sponsored bills under the procedures described in this resolution.

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