Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

Government Operations & Elections Committee

SB 5747

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.

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 commissioner districts. Commissioners are elected from either three, five, or seven commissioner districts, or at-large positions, or both, as determined by resolution of the county commissioners. The initial commissioners' terms of office are staggered, and successor terms are for six years. Only registered voters who reside in a commissioner district may be candidates for or hold office as a commissioner. Voters of the entire public hospital district may vote at a primary or general election to elect a person as a commissioner of the commissioner district.

If voters approve a ballot proposition to increase the number of commissioners to five or seven members, the additional commissioners are elected at-large, unless the board of commissioners adopts a resolution to have all of the five or seven commissioners elected using commissioner districts.

Summary of Bill:

The board of commissioners of a public hospital district with a population over 285,000, as determined by Office of Financial Management estimates may, by resolution, establish commissioner districts and provide that each board member will be nominated in a primary and elected in a general election solely by voters in the member's commissioner district, rather than by voters in the entire public hospital district.

Terms of commissioners serving in office at the time that the resolution is adopted may not be reduced. Subsequently elected commissioners must be elected from the commissioner districts in which they reside. One commissioner must be elected from each commissioner district, and no commissioner may be elected from a commissioner district in which another commissioner resides.