(1) The secretary of the senate and the chief clerk of the house of representatives, at the direction of the legislative oral history committee, shall administer and conduct a program to record and document oral histories of current and former members and staff of the Washington state legislature, and other citizens who have participated in the political history of the Washington state legislature. The secretary of the senate and the chief clerk of the house of representatives may contract with independent oral historians or the history departments of the state universities to interview and record oral histories. The manuscripts and publications shall be made available for research and reference through the state archives. The manuscripts, together with current and historical photographs, may be published for distribution to libraries and the general public, and posted on the legislative oral history website.
(2) The oral history of a person who occupied positions, or was staff to a person who occupied positions, in more than one branch of government, shall be conducted by the entity authorized to conduct oral histories of persons in the position last held by the person who is the subject of the oral history. However, the person being interviewed may select the entity he or she wishes to prepare his or her oral history.