Government of Washington | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Polity type | Presidential republic Federated state |
| Constitution | Constitution of Washington |
| Legislative branch | |
| Name | Legislature |
| Type | Bicameral |
| Meeting place | Washington State Capitol |
| Upper house | |
| Name | Senate |
| Presiding officer | Denny Heck,President |
| Lower house | |
| Name | House of Representatives |
| Presiding officer | Laurie Jinkins,Speaker |
| Executive branch | |
| Head of state andgovernment | |
| Title | Governor |
| Currently | Bob Ferguson |
| Appointer | Election |
| Cabinet | |
| Name | Cabinet |
| Leader | Governor |
| Deputy leader | Lieutenant Governor |
| Headquarters | Washington State Capitol |
| Judicial branch | |
| Name | Judiciary of Washington |
| Courts | Courts of Washington |
| Supreme Court | |
| Chief judge | Debra L. Stephens |
| Seat | Temple of Justice,Olympia |
Thegovernment of Washington State is the governmental structure of theState of Washington, United States, as established by theConstitution of the State of Washington. The executive is composed of theGovernor, several other statewide elected officials and the Governor's cabinet. TheWashington State Legislature consists of theHouse of Representatives andState Senate. The judiciary is composed of theWashington Supreme Court and lower courts. There is also local government, consisting of counties, municipalities and special districts.
The executive branch of the state's government is organized as a plural executive, in which the heads of the principal departments are filled by individually elected officials. In addition to theGovernor of Washington, the state constitutional officers are theLieutenant Governor, theAttorney General, theSecretary of State, theTreasurer, theAuditor, theCommissioner of Public Lands, and theSuperintendent of Public Instruction. Additionally, a number of state departments are governed and managed by independent commissions, including theDepartment of Fish and Wildlife and theDepartment of Transportation. Heads of the remaining departments are appointed by the Governor, with the advice and consent of theWashington State Senate. The Governor also enjoys aline item veto, the power to issue pardons and commute death sentences, and they act as commander-in-chief of thestate's military forces.
The offices of each of the state constitutional officers are established in the Washington constitution, with the exception of that of theInsurance Commissioner, which was created by statute. They are each elected on a partisan ballot to concurrent four-year terms, except for the Superintendent of Public Instruction who is officially non-partisan.
The current Governor isBob Ferguson (D), the Lieutenant Governor isDenny Heck (D), the Attorney General isNick Brown (D), the Secretary of State isSteve Hobbs (D), the Treasurer isMike Pellicciotti (D), the Auditor isPat McCarthy (D), the Public Lands Commissioner isDave Upthegrove (D), and the Insurance Commissioner isPatty Kuderer (D). The Superintendent of Public Instruction isChris Reykdal.
The main administrative departments are:[1]
TheWashington State Register (WSR) is a biweekly publication that includes activities of the government.[2][3] TheWashington Administrative Code (WAC) is the codification of regulations arranged by subject and agency.[2][3]
TheWashington State Legislature is the state'slegislative branch. Thestate legislature isbicameral and is composed of alowerHouse of Representatives and anupperState Senate. The state is divided into 49 legislative districts of equal population, each of which elects two representatives and one senator. Representatives serve two-year terms, while senators serve for four years. There are noterm limits.
TheSpeaker of the House presides over the House of Representatives. The Speaker and the SpeakerPro Tem are nominated by the majority party caucus followed by a vote of the full House. As well as presiding over the body, the Speaker is also the chief leadership position, and controls the flow of legislation. In the absence of the Speaker the Speaker Pro Tem assumes the role of Speaker. TheLieutenant Governor of Washington serves as thePresident of the Senate, but only casts a vote if required to break a tie. In his or her absence, thePresident Pro Tempore presides over the Senate. The President Pro Tempore is elected by the majority party caucus followed by confirmation of the entire Senate through a Senate Resolution. The President Pro Tempore is the chief leadership position in the Senate. The other legislative leaders, such as themajority andminority leaders are elected by their respective party caucuses.
Itssession laws are published in theLaws of Washington, which in turn have beencodified in theRevised Code of Washington (RCW).[4]
TheWashington Supreme Court is thehighest court in the state.[5] It has original jurisdiction of petitions against state officers, and can review decisions of lower courts if the money or value of property involved exceeds $200.[5] Direct Supreme Court review of a trial court decision is permitted if the action involves a state officer, a trial court has ruled a statute or ordinance unconstitutional, conflicting statutes or rules of law are involved, or the issue is of broad public interest and requires a prompt and ultimate determination.[5] All cases in which the death penalty has been imposed are reviewed directly by the Supreme Court.[5] In all other cases, review of Court of Appeals decisions is left to the discretion of the court.[5] Nine justices serve on the bench and are elected statewide to six-year terms.[5] Motions to be determined by the Court, and petitions for review of Court of Appeals decisions, are heard by five-member departments of the Court, and a less-than-unanimous vote on a petition requires that the entire court consider the matter.[5]
TheWashington Court of Appeals is the intermediate levelappellate court empowered to hear appeals from final judgments and orders of superior courts,[6][7] Personal Restraint Petitions,[8] writs ofmandamus andquo warranto,[8] appeals from decisions of administrative agencies, discretionary review of a superior court's decision in an appeal from a court oflimited jurisdiction,[9] and discretionary review of interlocutory appeals from rulings of superior court for which there is no other effective remedy.[10] Judges are elected for six-year terms.[6] The court is divided into three divisions.[6] Cases are heard by panels of three judges. There is noen banc procedure.
TheWashington superior courts are courts of general jurisdiction, grouped into thirty single or multi-county districts.[11] TheWashington district courts (of counties) andWashington municipal courts (of cities and towns) are courts of limited jurisdiction which hear cases involving misdemeanor crimes, traffic, non-traffic, and parking infractions, domestic violence protection orders, civil actions of $75,000 or less, and small claims of up to $5,000.[12] Superior court and district court judges are elected to four-year terms, and municipal court judges may be elected or appointed to four-year terms depending on state law.[11][12] In addition to municipal courts, cities can establishtraffic violation bureaus (TVBs) that handle traffic violations of municipal ordinances.[12]
TheWashington State Bar Association (WSBA) licenses and regulates attorneys, and serves its members as a professional association. TheCommission on Judicial Conduct consists of 11 members (two attorneys selected by the WSBA, three judges selected by the sitting judges of the state, and six non-attorneys appointed by the Governor), which is authorized to investigate complaints against sitting judges and recommend the removal of judges, which can be effected by a majority vote of the Supreme Court.
The powers of thecounties of Washington are exercised by three to five county commissioners, or by a different form of government provided by "home rule" charters, such as a council-elected executive, council-appointed administrator, or commission-appointed administrator form.[13] Thecities and towns of Washington can be organized under mayor-council, council-manager, and commission forms of government.[14] The power of the public to initiate ordinances by petition and to have enacted ordinances referred to the voters are only available in first class cities, code cities, cities or towns organized under the commission plan of government, and home rule counties.[15][16]Special purpose districts are governments that provide an array of services and facilities including electricity, fire protection, flood control,health districts and hospital districts, housing, irrigation, parks and recreation, library, water-sewer service and more recently stadiums, convention centers, and entertainment facilities that are not otherwise available from city or county governments.[17]
