H-2073.1  _______________________________________________

                    SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 1325

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      57th Legislature     2001 Regular Session

By House Committee on State Government (originally sponsored by Representatives D. Schmidt, Conway, Haigh, Bush, Talcott, Romero, Mielke, Anderson, Rockefeller, Campbell and Wood; by request of Joint Select Committee on Veterans' and Military Affairs)

Read first time 02/26/2001.  Referred to Committee on .

Creating a joint committee on veterans' and military affairs.

    AN ACT Relating to the joint committee on veterans' and military affairs; adding a new section to chapter 73.04 RCW; and providing an expiration date.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 73.04 RCW to read as follows:

    (1) There is hereby created a joint committee on veterans' and military affairs.  The committee shall consist of:  (a) Eight members of the senate appointed by the president of the senate, four of whom shall be members of the majority party and four of whom shall be members of the minority party; and (b) eight members of the house of representatives appointed by the speaker, four of whom shall be members of the majority party and four of whom shall be members of the minority party.  Members of the committee shall be appointed before the close of the 2001 legislative session, and before the close of each regular session during an odd-numbered year thereafter.

    (2) Each member's term of office shall run from the close of the session in which he or she was appointed until the close of the next regular session held in an odd-numbered year.  If a successor is not appointed during a session, the member's term shall continue until the member is reappointed or a successor is appointed.  The term of office for a committee member who does not continue as a member of the senate or house of representatives shall cease upon the convening of the next session of the legislature during an odd-numbered year after the member's appointment, or upon the member's resignation, whichever is earlier.  Vacancies on the committee shall be filled by appointment in the same manner as described in subsection (1) of this section.  All such vacancies shall be filled from the same political party and from the same house as the member whose seat was vacated.

    (3) The committee shall establish an executive committee of four members representing the majority and minority caucuses of each house.  The executive committee is responsible for performing all general administrative and personnel duties assigned to it in the rules and procedures adopted by the joint committee, as well as other duties delegated to it by the joint committee.

    (4) The joint committee on veterans' and military affairs has the following powers and duties:

    (a) To study veterans' issues, active military forces issues, and national guard and reserve component issues, and make recommendations to the legislature; and

    (b) To study structure and administration of the department of veterans affairs and the military department, and make recommendations to the legislature.

    (5) The joint committee shall adopt rules and procedures for its orderly operation.  The joint committee may create subcommittees to perform duties under this section.

    (6) This section expires December 31, 2005.

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