BILL REQ. #: S-1052.1
State of Washington | 58th Legislature | 2003 Regular Session |
Read first time 02/03/2003. Referred to Committee on Government Operations & Elections.
BE IT RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
STATE OF WASHINGTON, IN LEGISLATIVE SESSION ASSEMBLED:
THAT, At the next general election to be held in this state the
secretary of state shall submit to the qualified voters of the state
for their approval and ratification, or rejection, an amendment to
Article XXVIII, section 1 of the Constitution of the state of
Washington to read as follows:
Article XXVIII, section 1. Salaries for members of the
legislature, elected officials of the executive branch of state
government, and judges of the state's supreme court, court of appeals,
superior courts, and district courts shall be fixed by an independent
commission created and directed by law to that purpose. No state
official, public employee, or person required by law to register with
a state agency as a lobbyist, or immediate family member of the
official, employee, or lobbyist, may be a member of that commission.
As used in this section the phrase "immediate family" has the
meaning that is defined by law.
Any change of salary, together with the effective date of such
change, shall be filed with the secretary of state and shall become law
ninety days thereafter without action of the legislature or governor,
but shall be subject to referendum petition by the people, filed within
the ninety-day period. Before the effective date of any change of
salary, and if such change of salary is not subject to a pending
referendum petition by the people, the commission may revoke its prior
filing. Referendum measures under this section shall be submitted to
the people at the next following general election, and shall be
otherwise governed by the provisions of this Constitution generally
applicable to referendum measures. The salaries fixed pursuant to this
section shall supersede any other provision for the salaries of members
of the legislature, elected officials of the executive branch of state
government, and judges of the state's supreme court, court of appeals,
superior courts, and district courts. The salaries for such officials
in effect on January 12, 1987, shall remain in effect until changed
pursuant to this section.
After the initial adoption of a law by the legislature creating the
independent commission, no amendment to such act which alters the
composition of the commission shall be valid unless the amendment is
enacted by a favorable vote of two-thirds of the members elected to
each house of the legislature and is subject to referendum petition.
The provisions of section 14 of Article IV, sections 14, 16, 17,
19, 20, 21, and 22 of Article III, and section 23 of Article II,
insofar as they are inconsistent herewith, are hereby superseded. The
provisions of section 1 of Article II relating to referendum
procedures, insofar as they are inconsistent herewith, are hereby
superseded with regard to the salaries governed by this section.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the secretary of state shall cause
notice of this constitutional amendment to be published at least four
times during the four weeks next preceding the election in every legal
newspaper in the state.