A bill that would update a law from the 1950’s pertaining to residency requirements of a county position known as the chief examiner was approved by the House of Representatives today by a vote of 92-4. House Bill 1752 was sponsored by Rep. Brad Hawkins, R-East Wenatchee, at the request of the Chelan County Commissioners.

A chief examiner maintains records and testing procedures for civil service positions in counties. A chief examiner is a staff-level, non-elected position usually within a county’s human resources division. Under current law, a county’s chief examiner must reside within the county. House Bill 1752 would relieve counties of this strict residency requirement by allowing employees who serve in this role to live within the county or an adjacent county.

“In the Wenatchee Valley, because of the proximity of our two cities, counties, and school districts, some employees live in one jurisdiction and work in another. When the county brought this old statute to my attention about a staff-level county position, I thought it made sense to get it updated,” said Hawkins. “Other counties in the state need this little-known law updated as well and might not even realize they have a potential compliance issue. It is a modest bill to refresh an old statute, but I am glad I can help.”

The bill passed the House during the 2015 session and received a Senate committee hearing, but it did not advance further. Under legislative rules, the measure was returned to the House for reconsideration. House Bill 1752 now advances to the Senate Government Operations and Security Committee where it awaits a hearing.

For more information about Rep. Hawkins, visit: www.representativebradhawkins.com.

###

Rep. Hawkins’ media:
       
Washington State House Republican Communications
www.houserepublicans.wa.gov
461 John L. O’Brien Building
P.O. Box 40600
Olympia, WA 98504-0600
             

Podcast: Play in new window | Download