FINAL BILL REPORT

SSB 6239

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

Sponsors: Senate Committee on Labor, Commerce & Consumer Protection (originally sponsored by Senators Kohl-Welles, Gordon and Fraser; by request of Statute Law Committee).

Senate Committee on Labor, Commerce & Consumer Protection

House Committee on State Government & Tribal Affairs

Background: Since 1983 state law requires that all statutes be written in gender-neutral terms, unless a specification of gender is intended. In 2007 the Legislature passed ESB 5063, an act relating to removing gender references. The act changed gender-specific terms to gender-neutral terms in several chapters of the Revised Code of Washington (RCW), including those chapters dealing with firefighters, police officers, bondspersons, and material suppliers. ESB 5063 also directed the Code Reviser, in consultation with the Statute Law Committee, to develop and implement a plan to correct gender-specific references in the entire RCW.

The Code Reviser must make annual legislative recommendations to make the RCW gender-neutral by June 30, 2015. The first such bill was passed by the Legislature during the 2009 Legislative Session.

Summary: Gender-specific terms and references are made gender-neutral in several titles of the RCW. Titles relating to criminal procedure, probate and trust, district and juvenile courts, aeronautics, agriculture, state government, motor vehicles, public highways and transportation, insurance, labor, unemployment compensation, industrial insurance, fire protection districts, port districts, public utility districts, boundaries and plats, and landlord and tenant are included and are made gender-neutral throughout.

Votes on Final Passage:

Senate	46	0
House	85	10

Effective:	June 10, 2010
	July 1, 2010 (Section 9077)