Title: An act relating to session law publication.

Brief Description: Simplifying session law publication.

Sponsors: Senators Rockefeller and Johnson; by request of Statute Law Committee.

Brief History:

Committee Activity: Judiciary: 1/17/06, 1/31/06 [DP].

Passed Senate: 2/14/06, 47-0.

SENATE COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY

Majority Report: Do pass.Signed by Senators Kline, Chair; Weinstein, Vice Chair; Johnson, Ranking Minority Member; Carrell, Esser, Hargrove, McCaslin, Rasmussen and Thibaudeau.

Staff: Cindy Fazio (786-7405)

Background: The Statute Law Committee publishes session laws after each legislative session. The session laws contain all of the bills passed for the most recent session. The Committee must meet specific requirements as to the number of copies published, and must publish both temporary and permanent versions of the laws.

Summary of Bill: The specific number of copies of session laws the Committee must publish is removed; the Committee must publish only as many copies of the session laws as necessary. The list of entities entitled to receive copies of the session laws is updated, and certain specified entities may request sets of session laws for their official business. Surplus copies of the session laws will be sold and the money received paid into the state treasury for the general fund. The Committee is not required to publish a temporary set of session laws.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Not requested.

Committee/Commission/Task Force Created: No.

Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For: The system for publishing the session laws can be more efficient and less costly. The specific number of sets needed has changed, probably due in part to changes in technology. For example, we no longer need to publish three thousand sets of the session laws. We can now better gauge the need and accommodate that change.

Testimony Against: None.

Who Testified: PRO: Senator Phil Rockefeller, Prime Sponsor, Kyle Thiessen, Code Reviser.