H-698                _______________________________________________

                                                    HOUSE BILL NO. 278

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              50th Legislature                              1987 Regular Session

By Representatives P. King and Armstrong

Read first time 1/23/87 and referred to Committee on Judiciary.

AN ACT Relating to superior court reporters; and amending RCW 2.32.180.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

        Sec. 1.  Section 1, chapter 126, Laws of 1913 as last amended by section 1, chapter 244, Laws of 1957 and RCW 2.32.180 are each amended to read as follows:

          ((It shall be and is the duty of each and every superior court judge)) (1) In counties or judicial districts in the state of Washington having a population of over thirty-five thousand inhabitants ((to)) each superior court judge shall appoint((, or said judge may,)) and in any county or judicial district having a population of over twenty-five thousand and less than thirty-five thousand, each superior court judge may appoint a stenographic reporter ((to be attached to the court holden by him who)).

(2)(a) Except as provided in (b) of this subsection, a stenographic reporter shall have had at least three years' experience as a skilled, practical reporter, or ((who upon examination)) shall be able to report and transcribe accurately one hundred ((and)) seventy-five words per minute of the judge's charge or two hundred words per minute of testimony each for five consecutive minutes((; said test of proficiency, in event of inability to meet qualifications as to length of time of experience, to be given by an)).

(b) In class AA counties a stenographic reporter, regardless of the number of years of experience, appointed after the effective date of this 1987 section shall be able to accurately report and transcribe proceedings before the court using computer-aided transcription.

(3) The test of proficiency required by subsection (2) of this section shall be administered by an examining committee composed of one judge of the superior court and two official reporters of the superior court of the state of Washington, appointed by the president judge of the superior court judges association of the state of Washington.  The initial judicial appointee shall serve for a period of six years; the two initial reporter appointees shall serve for a period of four years and two years, respectively((, from September 1, 1957)); thereafter on expiration of the first terms of service, each newly appointed member of ((said)) the examining committee ((to)) shall serve for a period of six years.  In the event of death or inability of a member to serve, the president judge shall appoint a reporter or judge, as the case may be, to serve for the balance of the unexpired term of the member whose inability to serve caused such vacancy.  The examining committee shall grant certificates to qualified applicants.  Administrative and procedural rules and regulations shall be promulgated by ((said)) the examining committee, subject to approval by the ((said)) the president judge.

(4) The stenographic reporter upon appointment shall thereupon become an officer of the court and shall be designated and known as the official reporter for the court or judicial district for which he or she is appointed((:  PROVIDED, That in no event shall there)).

(5) There shall not be appointed more official reporters in any one county or judicial district than there are superior court judges in such county or judicial district((;)).  The appointments in each class AA county shall be made by the majority vote of the judges in ((said)) the county acting en banc; the appointments in class A counties and counties of the first class may be made by each individual judge therein or by the judges in ((said)) the county acting en banc.

(6) Each official reporter so appointed shall hold office during the term of office of the judge or judges appointing him or her, but may be removed for incompetency, misconduct, or neglect of duty, and before entering upon the discharge of his or her duties shall take an oath to perform faithfully the duties of his or her office, and file a bond in the sum of two thousand dollars for the faithful discharge of his or her duties.  ((Such)) The reporter in each court is hereby declared to be a necessary part of the judicial system of the state of Washington.