S-3920.3 _______________________________________________
SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 6719
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State of Washington 57th Legislature 2002 Regular Session
By Senate Committee on Judiciary (originally sponsored by Senators Winsley, Prentice and Eide)
READ FIRST TIME 02/08/2002.
AN ACT Relating to municipal courts; and amending RCW 3.46.063 and 3.50.055.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1. RCW 3.46.063 and 1993 c 317 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:
Notwithstanding RCW 3.46.050 and 3.46.060, judicial positions may be filled only by election under the following circumstances:
(1) Each full-time equivalent judicial position shall be filled by election. This requirement applies regardless of how many judges are employed to fill the position. For purposes of this section, a full-time equivalent position is thirty-five or more hours per week of compensated time.
(2) In any city with one or more full-time equivalent judicial positions, an additional judicial position or positions that is or are in combination more than one-half of a full-time equivalent position shall be filled by election.
Cities with populations exceeding fifty thousand that have established municipal departments shall provide for at least one full-time elected municipal judge.
Sec. 2. RCW 3.50.055 and 1993 c 317 s 4 are each amended to read as follows:
Notwithstanding RCW 3.50.040 and 3.50.050, judicial positions may be filled only by election under the following circumstances:
(1) Each full-time equivalent judicial position shall be filled by election. This requirement applies regardless of how many judges are employed to fill the position. For purposes of this section, a full-time equivalent position is thirty-five or more hours per week of compensated time.
(2) In any city with one or more full-time equivalent judicial positions, an additional judicial position or positions that is or are in combination more than one-half of a full-time equivalent position shall also be filled by election.
Cities with populations exceeding fifty thousand that have established municipal courts shall provide for at least one full-time elected municipal judge. If such a city does not have a full-time elected municipal court judge on the effective date of this act, then a full-time elected municipal court judge shall be elected in the first judicial election cycle that occurs at the expiration of contracts for appointed municipal court judges entered into and in place prior to February 1, 2002.
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