(1) There is hereby created a joint select committee to be known as the joint legislative unanticipated revenue oversight committee with the following sixteen members:
(a) The majority and minority leaders of the senate;
(b) The speaker and the minority leader of the house of representatives;
(c) Six additional members of the senate with three members from each of the two largest caucuses of the senate appointed by their respective leaders; and
(d) Six additional members of the house of representatives with three members from each of the two largest caucuses of the house of representatives appointed by their respective leaders.
(2) The cochairs of the committee are the leaders of the two largest caucuses of the senate in even-numbered years and the leaders of the two largest caucuses of the house of representatives in odd-numbered years.
(3) Staff support for the committee is provided by the senate committee services and the house of representatives office of program research.
(4) Members of the committee serve without additional compensation, but must be reimbursed for travel expenses in accordance with RCW
44.04.120. The expenses of the committee are paid jointly by the senate and the house of representatives and expenditures are subject to approval by the senate facilities and operations committee and the house of representatives executive rules committee, or their successor committees.
(5) The purpose of the committee is to review requests for proposed allotment amendments to spend unanticipated and unbudgeted moneys from federal and nonstate sources pursuant to RCW
43.79.270(3). The committee is necessary to provide oversight of the legislature's delegation of state fiscal authority to the governor while the legislature is not in session and to prevent infringement on the legislature's constitutional power to appropriate state funds.
(6) The committee shall meet as necessary to review requests from the governor pursuant to RCW
43.79.270(3) and to provide comment within 14 calendar days. The committee may conduct its meetings and hold public hearings by conference telephone call, videoconference, or using similar technology equipment so that all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other at the same time. The committee shall adopt rules and procedures for its orderly operation. The activities of the committee are suspended during regular or special legislative sessions.
(7) If the committee chooses to conduct a public hearing on a proposed allotment amendment, the committee must provide the office of financial management with five calendar days notice of the public hearing. The office of financial management, or its designee, must appear before the committee to present the proposed allotment amendment and respond to questions. The committee may also require the state agency, department, board, or commission proposing the allotment amendment to appear before the committee, submit additional information, or engage in other activities necessary for the committee to review and comment on proposed allotment amendments.
(8) Action of the committee is limited to the review and comment on requests submitted by the governor under RCW
43.79.270(3). Action by the committee requires the majority vote of members of the committee in attendance at the meeting. Action may take the form of a recommendation approving the proposed allotment amendment, rejecting the proposed allotment amendment, or proposing an alternative allotment amendment for governor consideration prior to approval under RCW
43.79.280. The committee's action is not binding on the governor.
