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Washington House of Representatives
General Information
Type:	Lower house
Term limits:	None
2012 session start:	January 9, 2012
Website:	Official House Page
Leadership
House Speaker:	Frank Chopp, (D)
Majority Leader:	Pat Sullivan, (D)
Minority leader:	Richard DeBolt, (R)
Structure
Members:	98
	Democratic Party (56) Republican Party (42) Vacancy (1)
Length of term:	2 years
Authority:	Art II, Washington Constitution
Salary:	$42,106/year + per diem
Elections
Last Election:	November 2, 2010 (98 seats)
Next election:	November 6, 2012 (98 seats)
Redistricting:	Washington State Redistricting Commission

The Washington State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Washington State Legislature, the state legislature of Washington. A total of 98 members serve in the lower house of the Washington State Legislature and meet at the State Capitol in Olympia. Each member represents an average of 68,618 residents, as of the 2010 Census.^[1] After the 2000 Census, each member represented approximately 60,144 residents.^[2] Each district has two House members for each senate district being denoted as "1A" or "1B" for example. Representatives serve a two-year term.

The legislature is a part-time citizen legislature that meets annually on the second Monday. In odd-numbered years, the budget year the Legislature meets for 105 days, and in even-numbered years for 60 days. If necessary, the Governor can call legislators in for a special session for a 30-day period. Legislators can call themselves into special session with a two-thirds vote of the two bodies^[3].

Sessions

Article II of the Washington Constitution establishes when the Washington State Legislature, of which the House is a part, is to be in session. Section 12 of Article II allows the dates of regular sessions to be determined by statute. Section 12 limits the length of regular sessions to 105 days in odd-numbered years and 60 days in even-numbered years.

Section 12 also establishes rules for convening special sessions of the Legislature. It states that special sessions can be called by the Governor of Washington or by resolution of two-thirds of the members of each legislative house. Special sessions are not to exceed 30 days in length.

2012

See also: Dates of 2012 state legislative sessions

In 2012, the House will be in session from January 9 through March 8.

Major issues

Heading into the session the state faces a $1.5 billion budget gap. Additionally, Governor Chris Gregoire is pushing for a half-cent sales tax, while the legislature is considering a gas-tax increase to pay for roads and transportation related needs.^[4]

The legislature passed a bill allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry. Gov. Gregoire signed it into law in February but opponents immediately filed a Referendum to try and put the law on hold.^[5]

2011

See also: Dates of 2011 state legislative sessions

In 2011, the House was in session from January 10 through April 24. ^[6]

2010

See also: Dates of 2010 state legislative sessions

In 2010, the House was in regular session from January 11 to March 11. Additionally, the Legislature was in special session from March 15 to April 12 to deal with issues related to the economy and the state budget.^[7][8]

Elections

2012

See also: Washington State House of Representatives elections, 2012

Elections for the office of Washington House of Representatives will be held in Washington on November 6, 2012. All 98 seats will be up for election.

The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in the elections is June 8, 2012. The primary election day is August 7, 2012.

2010

See also: Washington State House of Representatives elections, 2010

The signature-filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was June 11, 2010. The primary election day was August 17, 2010. The enactment of Initiative 872 in 2004 means that in the August 17 primary, the top two vote-getting candidates in each primary contest, regardless of party, moved on to the final November 2 vote.

Washington State Representatives serve a two-year term and are not subject to term limits. All members are up for election on even years. Of the 98 seats up for re-election, incumbents ran in 81 of them.

The partisan breakdown of the House before and after the election was as follows:

Washington House of Representatives
Party		As of November 1, 2010	After the 2010 Election
	Democratic Party	61	57
	Republican Party	37	41
Total		98	98

In 2010, the candidates for state house raised a total of $15,999,632 in campaign contributions. The top 10 donors were: ^[9]

Donor	Amount
House Democratic Campaign Cmte	$552,413
House Republican Organizational Cmte of Washington	$488,004
Washington State Democratic Party	$294,579
Washington State Republican Party	$141,785
Frockt, David S	$117,764
Washington State Dental Association	$109,600
Washington Health Care Association	$106,500
Premera Blue Cross	$96,350
House Democratic Campaign Cmte of Washington	$90,243
Washington Restaurant Association	$87,600

Qualifications

Section 7 of Article 2 of the Washington State Constitution states, "No person shall be eligible to the legislature who shall not be a citizen of the United States and a qualified voter in the district for which he is chosen."

Vacancies

See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

If there is a vacancy in the House, the Board of County Commissioners where the vacant seat is located has the responsibility to select a replacement. The state central committee of the political party that last held the seat must submit a list of three candidates to the Board of County Commissioners representing the vacant district. A selection must be made within 60 days after the vacancy happened^[10].

Representatives

Partisan composition

See also: Partisan composition of state houses

Party		As of May 2012
	Democratic Party	56
	Republican Party	42
Total		98

Salaries

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries

As of 2010, members of the Washington House of Representatives are paid $42,106/year. Legislators receive $90/day per diem.^[11]

The $42,106/year that Washington representatives are paid as of 2010 is an increase over the $36,311/year they were paid during legislative sessions in 2007. Per diem is the same.^[12]

When sworn in

See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

Washington legislators assume office the first day of session.

Leadership

The Speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the body. ^[13][14]

Current leadership

Position	Representative	Party
State Speaker of the House	Frank Chopp	Democratic
State House Speaker Pro Tempore	James Moeller	Democratic
State House Assistant Speaker Pro Tempore	Tina Orwall	Democratic
State House Majority Leader	Pat Sullivan	Democratic
State House Majority Caucus Leader	Eric Pettigrew	Democratic
State House Majority Whip	Kevin Van De Wege	Democratic
State House Assistant Majority Whip	Joe Fitzgibbon	Democratic
State House Assistant Majority Whip	Luis Moscoso	Democratic
State House Assistant Majority Whip	Cindy Ryu	Democratic
State House Majority Floor Leader	Tami Green	Democratic
State House Assistant Majority Floor Leader	David Frockt	Democratic
State House Minority Leader	Richard DeBolt	Republican
State House Deputy Minority Leader	Joel Kretz	Republican
State House Minority Caucus Leader	Dan Kristiansen	Republican
State House Minority Whip	Bill Hinkle	Republican
State House Minority Caucus Vice Chair	Judy Warnick	Republican
State House Assistant Minority Floor Leader	Kevin Parker	Republican
State House Assistant Minority Floor Leader	Matthew Shea	Republican
State House Assistant Minority Whip	Cathy Dahlquist	Republican
State House Assistant Minority Whip	Jason Overstreet	Republican
State House Assistant Minority Whip	Ann Rivers	Republican

Current members

District	Representative	Party	Residence
1	Derek Stanford	Democratic	Mountlake Terrace
1	Luis Moscoso	Democratic	Bothell
2	Jim McCune	Republican	Graham
2	J.T. Wilcox	Republican	Roy
3	Andy Billig	Democratic	Spokane
3	Timm Ormsby	Democratic	Spokane
4	Larry Crouse	Republican	Spokane
4	Matthew Shea	Republican
5	Jay Rodne	Republican	Snoqualmie
5	Glenn Anderson	Republican	Fall City
6	Kevin Parker	Republican
6	John Ahern	Republican
7	Shelly Short	Republican	Addy
7	Joel Kretz	Republican	Wauconda
8	Brad Klippert	Republican	Kennewick
8	Larry Haler	Republican	Richland
9	Susan Fagan	Republican	Colfax
9	Joe Schmick	Republican
10	Norma Smith	Republican
10	Barbara Bailey	Republican	Oak Harbor
11	Zack Hudgins	Democratic	Tukwila
11	Bob Hasegawa	Democratic	Beacon Hill
12	Cary Condotta	Republican	East Wenatchee
12	Mike Armstrong	Republican	Wenatchee
13	Judith Warnick	Republican	Moses Lake
13	Bill Hinkle	Republican	Cle Elum
14	Norm Johnson	Republican
14	Charles Ross	Republican	Naches
15	Bruce Chandler	Republican	Granger
15	David Taylor	Republican
16	Maureen Walsh	Republican	College Place
16	Terry Nealey	Republican
17	Tim Probst	Democratic
17	Paul Harris	Republican	Vancouver
18	Ann Rivers	Republican
18	Ed Orcutt	Republican	Kalama
19	Dean Takko	Democratic	Longview
19	Brian Blake	Democratic	Aberdeen
20	Richard DeBolt	Republican	Chehalis
20	Gary Alexander	Republican	Olympia
21	Mary Helen Roberts	Democratic	Lynnwood
21	Marko Liias	Democratic	Mukilteo
22	Chris Reykdal	Democratic	Olympia
22	Sam Hunt	Democratic	Olympia
23	Sherry Appleton	Democratic	Poulsbo
23	Drew Hansen	Democratic	Bainbridge Island
24	Kevin Van De Wege	Democratic	Sequim
24	Steve Tharinger	Democratic	Hoquiam
25	Bruce Dammeier	Republican
25	Hans Zeiger	Republican	Puyallup
26	Jan Angel	Republican
26	Larry Seaquist	Democratic	Gig Harbor
27	Laurie Jinkins	Democratic	Tacoma
27	Jeannie Darneille	Democratic	Tacoma
28	Troy Kelley	Democratic	Tacoma
28	Tami Green	Democratic	Lakewood
29	Connie Ladenburg	Democratic	Tacoma
29	Steve Kirby	Democratic	Tacoma
30	Mark Miloscia	Democratic	Federal Way
30	Katrina Asay	Republican	Federal Way
31	Cathy Dahlquist	Republican	Bonney Lake
31	Christopher Hurst	Democratic	Enumclaw
32	Cindy Ryu	Democratic	Edmonds
32	Ruth Kagi	Democratic	Lake Forest
33	Tina Orwall	Democratic
33	Dave Upthegrove	Democratic	Des Moines
34	Eileen Cody	Democratic	Seattle
34	Joe Fitzgibbon	Democratic
35	Kathy Haigh	Democratic	Shelton
35	Fred Finn	Democratic	Olympia
36	Reuven Carlyle	Democratic
36	Mary Lou Dickerson	Democratic	Seattle
37	Sharon Tomiko Santos	Democratic	Seattle
37	Eric Pettigrew	Democratic	Seattle
38	John McCoy	Democratic	Tulalip
38	Mike Sells	Democratic	Everett
39	Dan Kristiansen	Republican	Snohomish
39	Kirk Pearson	Republican	Monroe
40	Kristine Lytton	Democratic	Mount Vernon
40	Jeff Morris	Democratic	Guemes Island
41	Marcie Maxwell	Democratic
41	Judy Clibborn	Democratic	Mercer Island
42	Jason Overstreet	Republican	Ferndale
42	Vincent Buys	Republican	Bellingham
43	Jamie Pedersen	Democratic	Seattle
43	Frank Chopp	Democratic	Wallingford
44	Hans Dunshee	Democratic	Snohomish
44	Mike Hope	Republican	Snohomish
45	Roger Goodman	Democratic	Kirkland
45	Larry Springer	Democratic	Kirkland
46	Gerry Pollet	Democratic	Seattle
46	Phyllis Gutierrez Kenney	Democratic	Seattle
47	Mark Hargrove	Republican	Covington
47	Pat Sullivan	Democratic	Covington
48	Ross Hunter	Democratic
48	Deborah Eddy	Democratic	Kirkland
49	Sharon Wylie	Democratic	Vancouver
49	James Moeller	Democratic	Vancouver

Standing committees

The Washington State House has 21 standing committees:

• Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, Washington House of Representatives
• Business and Financial Services Committee, Washington House of Representatives
• Capital Budget Committee, Washington House of Representatives
• Community Development and Housing Committee, Washington House of Representatives
• Early Learning and Human Services Committee, Washington House of Representatives
• Education Committee, Washington House of Representatives
• Education Appropriations and Oversight Committee, Washington House of Representatives
• Environment Committee, Washington House of Representatives
• General Government Appropriations and Oversight Committee, Washington House of Representatives
• Health and Human Services Appropriations and Oversight Committee, Washington House of Representatives
• Health Care and Wellness Committee, Washington House of Representatives
• Higher Education Committee, Washington House of Representatives
• Judiciary Committee, Washington House of Representatives
• Labor and Workforce Development Committee, Washington House of Representatives
• Local Government Committee, Washington House of Representatives
• Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Committee, Washington House of Representatives
• Rules Committee, Washington House of Representatives
• State Government and Tribal Affairs Committee, Washington House of Representatives
• Technology, Energy and Communications Committee, Washington House of Representatives
• Transportation Committee, Washington House of Representatives
• Ways & Means Committee, Washington House of Representatives

External links

• Official website of the Washington House of Representatives
• Official list of the current members of the Washington House of Representatives
• Project Vote Smart on the Washington House of Representatives

References

v • d • e Current members of the Washington House of Representatives House Speaker: Frank Chopp (D) • House Majority Leader: Pat Sullivan (D) • House Minority Leader: Richard DeBolt (R)     Derek Stanford (D) Luis Moscoso (D) Jim McCune (R) J.T. Wilcox (R) Andy Billig (D) Timm Ormsby (D) Larry Crouse (R) Matthew Shea (R) Jay Rodne (R) Glenn Anderson (R) Kevin Parker (R) John Ahern (R) Shelly Short (R) Joel Kretz (R) Brad Klippert (R) Larry Haler (R) Susan Fagan (R) Joe Schmick (R) Norma Smith (R) Barbara Bailey (R) Zack Hudgins (D) Bob Hasegawa (D) Cary Condotta (R) Mike Armstrong (R) Judith Warnick (R) Bill Hinkle (R) Norm Johnson (R) Charles Ross (R) Bruce Chandler (R) David Taylor (R) Maureen Walsh (R) Terry Nealey (R) Tim Probst (D) Paul Harris (R) Ann Rivers (R) Ed Orcutt (R) Dean Takko (D) Brian Blake (D) Richard DeBolt (R) Gary Alexander (R) Mary Helen Roberts (D) Marko Liias (D) Chris Reykdal (D) Sam Hunt (D) Sherry Appleton (D) Drew Hansen (D) Kevin Van De Wege (D) Steve Tharinger (D) Bruce Dammeier (R) Hans Zeiger (R) Jan Angel (R) Larry Seaquist (D) Laurie Jinkins (D) Jeannie Darneille (D) Troy Kelley (D) Tami Green (D) Connie Ladenburg (D) Steve Kirby (D) Mark Miloscia (D) Katrina Asay (R) Cathy Dahlquist (R) Christopher Hurst (D) Cindy Ryu (D) Ruth Kagi (D) Tina Orwall (D) Dave Upthegrove (D) Eileen Cody (D) Joe Fitzgibbon (D) Kathy Haigh (D) Fred Finn (D) Reuven Carlyle (D) Mary Lou Dickerson (D) Sharon Tomiko Santos (D) Eric Pettigrew (D) John McCoy (D) Mike Sells (D) Dan Kristiansen (R) Kirk Pearson (R) Kristine Lytton (D) Jeff Morris (D) Marcie Maxwell (D) Judy Clibborn (D) Jason Overstreet (R) Vincent Buys (R) Jamie Pedersen (D) Frank Chopp (D) Hans Dunshee (D) Mike Hope (R) Roger Goodman (D) Larry Springer (D) Gerry Pollet (D) Phyllis Gutierrez Kenney (D) Mark Hargrove (R) Pat Sullivan (D) Ross Hunter (D) Deborah Eddy (D) Sharon Wylie (D) James Moeller (D) Democratic (56) • Republican (42)• Vacancy (1)• Washington House of Representatives • Washington State Senate

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	v • d • e State of Washington Olympia (capital)
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