Complaint Opinion 25-06

Is RCW 42.52.020 violated when a legislator, who is also a committee chair and the co-owner of a car dealership, does not advance a bill dealing with car dealerships because she does not have sufficient votes to move the bill out of the committee?

No. There was no evidence to indicate that she was benefitted in any way by the failure of the bill to move out of committee. Furthermore, the same bill had died in previous sessions. There appeared to be a lack of interest in the bill rather than the Respondent having a conflict of interest with the content of the bill.