WHEREAS, It is of paramount importance that the people of Washington have faith and trust in their representative government; and

WHEREAS, Trust and faith in government require that the officials that the people elect to represent them hold themselves to the highest legal and ethical standards; and

WHEREAS, Multiple calls for him to resign his position have been ignored by Troy Kelley, who has instead placed himself on leave as of May 4 and purported to delegate the duties of his constitutional office to the director of operations for the Washington State Auditor's Office; and

WHEREAS, The House of Representatives of the State of Washington believes Troy Kelley is unable to fulfill his constitutional role as the Washington State Auditor;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That, pursuant to Article V of the Constitution of the State of Washington, the House of Representatives of the State of Washington finds cause to impeach Troy Kelley as follows:

Troy Kelley willfully abandoned his statewide elected office, performed none of its duties, and provided no services to the people of the State of Washington since at least May 4, 2015. This gap in service is a dereliction of duty that cannot be cured even by his more recent return to office.

Troy Kelley has wrongfully and improperly delegated the entirety of the constitutional duties of a statewide elected official to an unelected staff member, further abandoning his elected office and depriving the people of the State of Washington of their duly-elected and accountable State Auditor.

Troy Kelly's conduct has undermined his credibility and betrayed the public trust that is an essential part of any elected office, but is especially important to the Office of State Auditor, which serves as the chief executive overseer of whether governmental agencies are exercising good stewardship over public funds.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That, pursuant to the foregoing Articles of Impeachment, the House of Representatives of the State of Washington, acting according to Article V of the Constitution of the State of Washington, hereby impeaches Troy Kelley for misdemeanors or malfeasance in office, recommends that he be removed from office and disqualified from holding other office in the state, and remands this matter to the Senate of the State of Washington for further proceedings, adjudication, and ultimate disposition as the Senate may determine.