HOUSE BILL REPORT

HB 1071

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

As Reported by House Committee On:

Judiciary

Title: An act relating to technical changes to form year designations.

Brief Description: Making technical changes to form year designations.

Sponsors: Representative Goodman; by request of Statute Law Committee.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:

Judiciary: 1/13/15, 1/15/15 [DP].

Brief Summary of Bill

  • Amends form year designations throughout the Revised Code of Washington by removing references to any specific century and instead denoting the space to insert the year as follows: "(year)".

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY

Majority Report: Do pass. Signed by 9 members: Representatives Jinkins, Chair; Kilduff, Vice Chair; Rodne, Ranking Minority Member; Goodman, Kirby, Muri, Orwall, Stokesbary and Walkinshaw.

Minority Report: Do not pass. Signed by 3 members: Representatives Shea, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Haler and Klippert.

Staff: Brent Campbell (786-7152).

Background:

The Statute Law Committee.

The Statute Law Committee employs the Code Reviser and oversees the functions and performance of the Code Reviser's Office. The Statute Law Committee regularly requests bills making technical changes to the Revised Code of Washington (RCW).

Form Year Designations.

Throughout the RCW are provisions directing that certain documents must be filed or used in substantially the form specified in the particular statute. Examples of such forms include:

Generally, somewhere on the form there is a space where reference to a date is to be inserted. In many statutory forms the century is specified as "19 . . ." or "A.D., 19 . . .".

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Summary of Bill:

References in a variety of forms throughout the RCW are amended to remove references to any specific century. Rather than specifying the century in the space where the date is to be inserted, the form language denotes the space to insert the year as follows: "(year) . . .".

Additional technical changes are also made in this bill. In two instances, references to "petitioner [respondent]" are changed to refer only to "respondent." In one instance, a form is changed from saying "twenty" to "thirty." This change makes the form's language match the statutory text. Finally, in two instances, optional answers "Yes . . . . . . . . No . . . . . . . ." have been added to form resolutions.

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Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Not requested.

Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed.

Staff Summary of Public Testimony:

(In support) This bill updates statutory forms.  This is a purely technical bill, and it does not omit the word "Lord" as it did previously.

(Opposed) None.

Persons Testifying: Representative Goodman, prime sponsor; and Kyle Thiessen, Statute Law Committee.

Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying: None.