Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

Judiciary Committee

SSB 5077

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 Commerce & Labor (originally sponsored by Senators Kohl-Welles, Holmquist Newbry and Keiser; by request of Statute Law Committee).

Brief Summary of Substitute Bill

Changes gender-specific terms to gender-neutral terms in numerous Titles of the Revised Code of Washington.

Background:

Since 1983 state law requires that all statutes must be written in gender-neutral terms unless a specification of gender is intended. In 2007 legislation was enacted that corrected gender-specific terms in a number of provisions of the Revised Code of Washington (RCW). This legislation also directed the Office of the Code Reviser, in consultation with the Statute Law Committee, to develop and implement a plan to correct gender-specific references throughout the RCW. The Code Reviser must make annual legislative recommendations to make the RCW gender-neutral by June 30, 2015. Legislation has been enacted in each of the past four sessions changing gender-specific language in numerous provisions of the RCW.

Summary of Bill:

Various Titles of the RCW are amended to make gender-specific terms gender-neutral. For example, references to ombudsman are changed to ombuds, chairman is changed to chair, fisherman is changed to fisher, freshman is changed to first-year student, and the phrases "he or she" or "his or her" are used. Other technical changes are made in several sections to correct cross-references and style and grammatical errors, and to update references and terminology.