Other LanguagesExtent to which Article II, § 13 of the Washington Constitution, relating to the eligibility of legislators for election or appointment to civil office, has been affected by the adoption of Article XXX, § 1, Amendment 54; criteria to be applied in determining when a legislator will be eligible to be appointed or elected to a civil office which was either created during his legislative term or for which a pay raise was then granted.
(1) Under § 6, subsection (3), chapter 150, Laws of 1965, Ex. Sess. (Substitute Senate Bill No. 1) which requires a public official or candidate to report the names of persons, corporations, firms, partnerships or other business associations from whom he receives compensation exceeding a certain specified amount, a legislator who is an attorney engaged in the private practice of law is required to report the name of his firm but is not required to report the names of his individual clients since a lawyer is not an "employee" of a client in the ordinary attorney-client relationship. (2) The first report which must be filed by incumbent public officials subject to the provisions of § 6, chapter 150, Laws of 1965, Ex. Sess. (Substitute Senate Bill No. 1) will cover the period August 6, 1965, through December 31, 1965, since the new act must be construed prospectively.
An incumbent member of the house of representatives now serving a two-year term to which he was elected in November, 1972, may be a candidate for an unexpired term in the state senate to be filled at the November 6, 1973, general election ‑ as also, may be either a house member thus elected in November of 1972 who later resigned that position to accept appointment to the senate, or a senator or representative now serving as such by appointment under Article II, § 15 (Amendment 52), supra.
The salary applicable to the remainder of an unexpired legislative term filled by election in November, 1973, (as provided in chapter 4, Laws of 1973) will be $3,600 per annum, the same salary as was fixed by law at the commencement of that term.
(1) If a state legislator receives compensation for preparing, supporting or opposing particular legislation he is required to report that compensation under RCW 42.17.240(1)(e). (2) The person making the payments thus referred to is required to report those payments as a lobbyist under RCW 42.17.170(2)(a). (3) Funds received by a legislative candidate during his electoral campaign are to be reported as contributions under RCW 42.17.08-42.17.090 where paid with the understanding that the funds are to "cover" the candidate's time spent as such.
The legislature may provide for salary increases for its own members but such increases may not become effective until the commencement of the next ensuing terms of office after the enactment of the law increasing salaries.
Under Article II, § 17, of the Washington State Constitution members of the legislature are granted an absolute privilege for words spoken in debate which privilege attaches while a legislator is performing his proper legislative function whether within or without the physical confines of the legislature itself.