Joint rules
The House and Senate both vote to adopt joint rules that govern processes that affect both chambers.
Preface
In 2023, the Senate and House adopted the Legislature's current joint rules with the adoption of House Concurrent Resolution 4401. The joint rules were subsequently amended with the adoption of Senate Concurrent Resolution 8407.
Chapters
- Rule 1. Ethics
- Rule 2. Prohibited Political Activity
- Rule 3. Legislative Code of Conduct
- Rule 4. Employee Protection
- Rule 5. Sessions of the Legislature
- Rule 6. Joint Session
- Rule 7. Motions for Joint Session
- Rule 8. Business Limited
- Rule 9. Joint Legislative Committees
- Rule 10. Joint Committee Meetings
- Rule 11. Joint and Concurrent Resolutions - Memorials
- Rule 12. Amendatory Bills
- Rule 13. Bills, How Drawn
- Rule 14. Amendments to State Constitution - Action by Legislature
- Rule 15. Publicity of Proposed Amendments to State Constitution
- Rule 16. Initiative Petition Before the Legislature
- Rule 17. Conference Committee
- Rule 18. Failure to Agree
- Rule 19. Report of Conference Committee, How Made Out - Whom Returned to
- Rule 20. Adoption of Reports
- Rule 21. Messages Between the Two Houses
- Rule 22. Bills to be Engrossed
- Rule 23. Final Action on Bills, How Communicated
- Rule 24. Enrolled Bills - Presiding Officer to Sign
- Rule 25. Disposition of Enrolled Bills
- Rule 26. Adjournment
- Rule 27. Adjournment Sine Die
- Rule 28. Each House Judge of Its Own Membership
- Rule 29. Convening Special Legislative Sessions
- Rule 30. Convening Special Legislative Sessions Solely to Reconsider Vetoed Bills
- Rule 31. Amendments to Joint Rules
- Rule 32. Joint Rules to Apply for Biennium
Rule 13. Bills, How Drawn
Bills introduced in either house intended to amend existing statutes shall have the words that are amendatory to such existing statutes underlined. Any matter to be deleted from the existing statutes shall be indicated by lining out such matter with a broken line and enclosing the lined out material within double parentheses, and no bill shall be printed or acted upon until the provisions of this rule shall have been complied with.
New sections need not be underlined but shall be designated "NEW SECTION." in upper case type and such designation shall be underlined.
Sections of a bill that repeal a prior enactment shall include the section caption accompanying the section in the Revised Code of Washington.
No bill shall be introduced by title only, and, in the event a bill is not complete, at least section 1 shall be set forth in full before the bill may be accepted for introduction.
Amendments to bills will be acted upon in the manner provided in the Rules of the Senate and in the Rules of the House of Representatives. No amendment to a bill shall be considered which strikes the entire subject matter of a bill, and substitutes in lieu thereof entirely new subject matter not germane to the original or engrossed bill.