Unless otherwise clearly required by the context, the following definitions apply:
(1) "Attack" means any acts of aggression taken against the United States causing substantial damage or injury to persons or property in the United States and in the state of Washington.
(2)(a) "Catastrophic incident" means any natural or human-caused incident, including terrorism and enemy attack, that results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the population, infrastructure, environment, economy, or government functions.
(b) "Catastrophic incident" does not include an event resulting from individuals exercising their rights, under the first amendment, of freedom of speech, and of the people to peaceably assemble.
(3) "Emergency or disaster" means an event or set of circumstances which: (a) Demands immediate action to preserve public health, protect life, protect public property, or to provide relief to any stricken community overtaken by such occurrences; or (b) reaches such a dimension or degree of destructiveness as to warrant the governor proclaiming a state of emergency pursuant to RCW
43.06.010.
(4) "Unavailable" means either that a vacancy in the office exists or that the lawful incumbent of the office is absent or unable to exercise the powers and discharge the duties of the office following a catastrophic incident and a proclamation of existing emergency by the governor or his or her successor.
Contingent effective date—2019 c 471 ss 4-10: "Sections 4 through 10 of this act take effect if the proposed amendment to Article II, section 42 of the state Constitution providing governmental continuity during emergency periods resulting from a catastrophic incident (House Joint Resolution No. 4200 or Senate Joint Resolution No. 8200) is validly submitted to and is approved and ratified by the voters at the next general election. If the proposed amendment is not approved and ratified, sections 4 through 10 of this act are void in their entirety." [
2019 c 471 s 11.] Senate Joint Resolution No. 8200 was approved and ratified by the voters at the November 5, 2019, general election.