Brief Description: Prohibiting public hospital district employees from serving as commissioners.

Sponsors: Senators Berkey and Mulliken.

Hearing Date: 2/20/06

Staff: Stephanie Toby (786-7106).

Background:

Public hospital districts (PHDs) are municipal corporations authorized to provide hospital and other health care services, and to construct and operate hospitals and other health care facilities. Statute authorizes PHDs to impose regular property taxes and excess levies to finance their activities and facilities. A PHD is created by ballot proposition.

A PHD is governed by a board of commissioners, and may initially be established with three, five or seven commissioners. The initial commissioners' terms of office are staggered and the commissioner receiving the greater number of votes is assigned a longer term of office. Each term of an initial commissioner runs until a successor assumes office after being elected at one of the three following district general elections, subject to prescribed requirements. The term of office for each successor is six years.

A PHD may initially be created with either three, five, or seven commissioner districts. Only registered voters who reside in a commissioner district may be candidates for or hold office as a commissioner.

Summary of Bill:

An employee of a PHD may not hold office as a commissioner of the PHD.

Technical changes are made to:

• reference the correct provisions in statute; and
• to specify that PHDs with seven commissioners will elect successors to two of the initial commissioners at the second general election following the establishment of the PHD.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Not requested.

Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.