H-3148              _______________________________________________

                                           HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 50

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              49th Legislature                              1986 Regular Session

By Representatives Sommers, Fisher, Barnes, R. King, K. Wilson and Unsoeld

Prefiled with Chief Clerk 12/20/85.  Read first time 1/13/86 and referred to Committee on Constitution, Elections & Ethics.

BE IT RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON, IN LEGISLATIVE SESSION ASSEMBLED:

          THAT, At the next general election to be held in this state there shall be submitted to the qualified voters of the state for their approval and ratification, or rejection, an amendment to Article XXIII, section 1 of the Constitution of the state of Washington to read as follows:

Article XXIII, section 1. (a) Any amendment or amendments to this Constitution may be proposed in either branch of the legislature; and if the same shall be agreed to by two-thirds of the members elected to each of the two houses, such proposed amendment or amendments shall be entered on their journals, with the ayes and noes thereon, and be submitted to the qualified electors of the state for their approval, at the next general election; and if the people approve and ratify such amendment or amendments, by a majority of the electors voting thereon, the same shall become part of this Constitution, and proclamation thereof shall be made by the governor:  PROVIDED, That if more than one amendment be submitted, they shall be submitted in such a manner that the people may vote for or against such amendments separately.

(b) The legislature may propose two alternative amendments to this Constitution dealing with the same subject, in which event both amendments shall be submitted to the qualified electors of the state for approval or rejection at the next regular general election.  Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, when the alternative amendments are submitted to the people, the ballots shall be so printed that a voter can express separately by making one cross (X) for each of two preferences, first, as between either amendment and neither, and secondly, as between one and the other.  If the majority of those voting on the first issue is for neither, both fail, but in that case the votes on the second issue shall nevertheless be tabulated and made public.  If a majority voting on the first issue is for either, then the amendment receiving a majority of the votes on the second issue shall be approved and ratified.

(c) The legislature shall also cause notice of the amendments that are to be submitted to the people to be published at least four times during the four weeks next preceding the election in every legal newspaper in the state:  PROVIDED, That failure of any newspaper to publish this notice shall not be interpreted as affecting the outcome of the election.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the secretary of state shall cause notice of the foregoing constitutional amendment to be published at least four times during the four weeks next preceding the election in every legal newspaper in the state.