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 II, section . . . of the Constitution of the state of Washington to read as follows:

Article II, section . . .. (a) Each odd-numbered year, before the end of the regular legislative session as determined under section 12 of this article, the legislature must enact and present to the governor a complete omnibus operating appropriations act for the entire ensuing fiscal biennium.

(b) If the legislature fails to comply with the requirements of subsection (a) of this section, then notwithstanding any other provision of this Constitution:

(1) Payment of legislators' salaries as determined pursuant to Article XXVIII of this Constitution is suspended until the legislature presents to the governor a complete omnibus operating appropriations act for the entire ensuing fiscal biennium. At such time, legislators must receive retroactive payment for the portion of their salaries that was previously so suspended.

(2) Each elected caucus leader of each body of the legislature must pay a fine of one thousand dollars per day until the legislature presents to the governor a complete omnibus operating appropriations act for the entire ensuing fiscal biennium. Legislators so fined must pay the fines into the state general fund. For purposes of this section, "elected caucus leader" for the house of representatives means the speaker of the house of representatives and the leaders, deputy leaders, and caucus chairs of each of the respective caucuses, and for the senate means the president pro tempore of the senate and the leaders, deputy leaders, and caucus chairs of each of the respective caucuses.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this amendment is a single amendment within the meaning of Article XXIII, section 1 of the state Constitution.

The legislature finds that the changes contained in this amendment constitute a single integrated plan for ensuring the timely enactment of biennial operating appropriations legislation. If this amendment is held to be separate amendments, this joint resolution is void in its entirety and is of no further force and effect.

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.

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