[atlas:bill]

AN ACT Relating to legislative hearings on initiatives and referendums; amending RCW 42.17.130 and 42.52.180; and adding a new section to chapter 29.79 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 29.79 RCW to read as follows:

After certification of sufficiency by the secretary of state and no less than sixty days before the initiatives and referendum measures are submitted to a vote of the people, the legislature may hold hearings on each initiative and referendum. If a hearing is held, every effort must be made to assure, when possible, a balanced exposition of viewpoints on the initiative or referendum measure.

The standing committees of the senate and house of representatives to which the matter, if it had been the subject of a bill introduced in the legislature and by the same process used by the legislature to refer bills to standing committees, would have been referred, may hold the hearings.

Nothing in this section may be held to diminish the constitutional rights of any person or to limit or repeal any other requirements imposed by statute or otherwise recognized by law. In no event may any initiative or referendum measure be subject to any claim of invalidity made under this section.

Sec. 2. RCW 42.17.130 and 1979 ex.s. c 265 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

No elective official nor any employee of his office nor any person appointed to or employed by any public office or agency may use or authorize the use of any of the facilities of a public office or agency, directly or indirectly, for the purpose of assisting a campaign for election of any person to any office or for the promotion of or opposition to any ballot proposition. Facilities of public office or agency include, but are not limited to, use of stationery, postage, machines, and equipment, use of employees of the office or agency during working hours, vehicles, office space, publications of the office or agency, and clientele lists of persons served by the office or agency: PROVIDED, That the foregoing provisions of this section shall not apply to the following activities:

(1) Action taken at an open public meeting by members of an elected legislative body to express a collective decision, or to actually vote upon a motion, proposal, resolution, order, or ordinance, or to support or oppose a ballot proposition so long as (a) any required notice of the meeting includes the title and number of the ballot proposition, and (b) members of the legislative body or members of the public are afforded an approximately equal opportunity for the expression of an opposing view;

(2) A statement by an elected official in support of or in opposition to any ballot proposition at an open press conference or in response to a specific inquiry;

(3) Activities which are part of the normal and regular conduct of the office or agency;

(4) Activities of the legislature in compliance with section 1 of this act.

Sec. 3. RCW 42.52.180 and 1995 c 397 s 30 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) No state officer or state employee may use or authorize the use of facilities of an agency, directly or indirectly, for the purpose of assisting a campaign for election of a person to an office or for the promotion of or opposition to a ballot proposition. Knowing acquiescence by a person with authority to direct, control, or influence the actions of the state officer or state employee using public resources in violation of this section constitutes a violation of this section. Facilities of an agency include, but are not limited to, use of stationery, postage, machines, and equipment, use of state employees of the agency during working hours, vehicles, office space, publications of the agency, and clientele lists of persons served by the agency.

(2) This section shall not apply to the following activities:

(a) Action taken at an open public meeting by members of an elected legislative body to express a collective decision, or to actually vote upon a motion, proposal, resolution, order, or ordinance, or to support or oppose a ballot proposition as long as (i) required notice of the meeting includes the title and number of the ballot proposition, and (ii) members of the legislative body or members of the public are afforded an approximately equal opportunity for the expression of an opposing view;

(b) A statement by an elected official in support of or in opposition to any ballot proposition at an open press conference or in response to a specific inquiry. For the purposes of this subsection, it is not a violation of this section for an elected official to respond to an inquiry regarding a ballot proposition, to make incidental remarks concerning a ballot proposition in an official communication, or otherwise comment on a ballot proposition without an actual, measurable expenditure of public funds. The ethics boards shall adopt by rule a definition of measurable expenditure;

(d) De minimis use of public facilities by statewide elected officials and legislators incidental to the preparation or delivery of permissible communications, including written and verbal communications initiated by them of their views on ballot propositions that foreseeably may affect a matter that falls within their constitutional or statutory responsibilities; and

(e) Activities of the legislature in compliance with section 1 of this act.

(3) As to state officers and employees, this section operates to the exclusion of RCW 42.17.130.