HOUSE BILL REPORT
HB 1066
As Reported by House Committee On:
Civil Rights & Judiciary
Title: An act relating to making technical corrections and removing obsolete language from the Revised Code of Washington pursuant to RCW 1.08.025.
Brief Description: Making technical corrections and removing obsolete language from the Revised Code of Washington pursuant to RCW 1.08.025.
Sponsors: Representatives Goodman, Abbarno, Simmons and Kloba; by request of Statute Law Committee.
Brief History:
Committee Activity:
Civil Rights & Judiciary: 1/10/23, 1/13/23 [DP].
Brief Summary of Bill
  • Makes technical corrections to various provisions of the Revised Code of Washington.
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON CIVIL RIGHTS & JUDICIARY
Majority Report: Do pass.Signed by 8 members:Representatives Hansen, Chair; Farivar, Vice Chair; Cheney, Entenman, Peterson, Rude, Thai and Walen.
Minority Report: Without recommendation.Signed by 2 members:Representatives Walsh, Ranking Minority Member; Graham, Assistant Ranking Minority Member.
Staff: Yelena Baker (786-7301).
Background:

Inaccuracies in the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) may occur in a variety of ways.  Sections may be repealed, recodified, or amended in a way that changes their internal numbering, and references to these sections or subsections in other provisions of the code then become incorrect.  A bill may change a particular term and references to these terms in other provisions of the code become inaccurate, or drafting and typographical errors may be made in the drafting process.
 
In addition, two or more bills may amend the same section of the RCW without reference to each other.  These are called "double" or "multiple" amendments.  Usually, there are no substantive conflicts between the multiple amendments, and the amendments may be merged, but sometimes merging multiple amendments may require restructuring of a section.
 
The Office of the Code Reviser, under the direction of the Statute Law Committee, is authorized to correct certain "manifest errors" in the statutes.  These errors may include such things as mistakes in spelling, or obvious clerical or typographical errors.  The Code Reviser is also authorized to recommend to the Legislature changes regarding deficiencies, conflicts, or obsolete provisions in the RCW.

Summary of Bill:

Technical corrections are made to various provisions of the Revised Code of Washington that:

  • merge multiple amendments created when sections were amended without reference to other amendments made in the same session;
  • update references to the "department of community, trade, and economic development" with the "department of commerce" in accordance with the renaming of that department by 2009 legislation;
  • add the erroneously omitted expiration date of June 30, 2016, to amendatory language in the section which related to the vocational rehabilitation pilot program and expired on June 30, 2016;
  • repeal the expiration date of July 1, 2013, for amendments to two sections in the chapter related to hospital safety net assessments due to the conflict with the overall chapter expiration date of July 1, 2025, adopted by 2021 legislation;
  • decodify groups that are no longer active, including:  the School Bullying and Harassment Work Group, Hate Crime Advisory Working Group, Statewide Coordinating Committee on Sex Trafficking, Joint Select Committee on Healthcare Oversight, and the Task Force to Review Federal 2007 Race and Ethnicity Reporting Guidelines;
  • reorganize subsection numbering to separate each distinct criminal penalty into its own subsection in statutes related to dangerous weapons on school facilities and open carry of weapons on state capitol grounds and municipal buildings;
  • correct in certain sex offense statutes terminology relating to behavioral health disorders, including changing the term "person with a chemical dependency" to "person with a substance use disorder" and "developmentally disabled, mentally disordered" to "a person with a developmental disability or a mental disorder";
  • update a reference to a federal law which was reclassified and renumbered in 2017;
  • update a subsection reference in criminal statutes related to intimidating a judge;
  • replace instances of the word "marijuana" with "cannabis," in accordance with 2022 legislation, in statutes related to criminal procedure, long-term care worker screening, and business and occupation tax;
  • correct an erroneous section reference to the student loan advocate within the Office of Student Financial Assistance;
  • change the term "apartment" to "lot" in a section of the Homeowners' Associations Act;
  • correct an erroneous subsection reference in a statute related to eligibility for community transition services; and
  • replace an erroneous usage of the word "county" with "country" in a statute related to nonresident vessel permits.  
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) State law directs the Statute Law Committee to recommend to the Legislature changes regarding deficiencies or obsolete provisions in the Revised Code of Washington.  This is a lengthy bill, but the revisions it makes are truly technical and not substantive. 

 

(Opposed) None.

Persons Testifying: Representative Roger Goodman, prime sponsor; and Kathy Buchli and Mark Lally, Office of the Code Reviser.
Persons Signed In To Testify But Not Testifying: None.