H-3500              _______________________________________________

                                                   HOUSE BILL NO. 2315

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                               51st Legislature                              1990 Regular Session

By Representatives R. Meyers, Belcher, Vekich, Brumsickle, Zellinsky, Sayan, Fraser and Pruitt

Read first time 1/10/90 and referred to Committees on Judiciary/Appropriations.

AN ACT Relating to superior courts; amending RCW 2.08.062 and 2.08.065; and creating a new section.

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

        Sec. 1.  Section 4, chapter 125, Laws of 1951 as last amended by section 2, chapter 323, Laws of 1987 and RCW 2.08.062 are each amended to read as follows:

          There shall be in the counties of Chelan and Douglas jointly, three judges of the superior court; in the county of Clark six judges of the superior court; in the county of Grays Harbor two judges of the superior court; in the county of Kitsap ((five)) seven judges of the superior court; in the county of Kittitas one judge of the superior court; in the county of Lewis two judges of the superior court.

        Sec. 2.  Section 7, chapter 125, Laws of 1951 as last amended by section 1, chapter 76, Laws of 1986 and RCW 2.08.065 are each amended to read as follows:

          There shall be in the county of Grant, two judges of the superior court; in the county of Okanogan, one judge of the superior court; in the county of Mason, one judge of the superior court; in the county of Thurston, ((five)) six judges of the superior court; in the counties of Pacific and Wahkiakum jointly, one judge of the superior court; in the counties of Ferry, Pend Oreille, and Stevens jointly, two judges of the superior court; and in the counties of San Juan and Island jointly, two judges of the superior court.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.     (1)(a) One additional judicial position created by section 1 of this act and the additional judicial position created by section 2 of this act shall be effective July 1, 1990.

          (b) The second additional judicial position created by section 1 of this act shall be effective not later than, and at the discretion of the legislative authority may be phased in at any time before, January 1, 1994.

          (2) The additional judicial positions created by sections 1 and 2 of this act in Kitsap and Thurston counties shall be effective only if the county through its duly constituted legislative authority documents its approval of any additional positions and its agreement that it will pay out of county funds, without reimbursement from the state, the expenses of such additional judicial positions as provided by statute.  The additional expenses include, but are not limited to, expenses incurred for court facilities.