-
Following are the general duties for the various
ELECTED offices as defined in the Revised Code of Washington
(RCW) courtesy of Washington Sen. Jim Honeyford. All such
officials listed here must comply with Washington's Public
Records laws.
- SECRETARY
OF STATE
-
- RCW 43.07.030
- General duties.
- The Secretary of State shall:
- (1) Keep a register of and attest the official
acts of the governor;
-
- (2) Affix the state seal, with his attestation,
to commissions,
- pardons, and other public instruments to which the
signature of the governor
- is required, and also attestations and
authentications of certificates and
- other documents properly issued by the
secretary;
-
- (3) Record all articles of incorporation, deeds,
or other papers filed
- in the secretary of state's office;
-
- (4) Receive and file all the official bonds of
officers required to be
- filed with the secretary of state;
-
- (5) Take and file in the secretary of state's
office receipts for all
- books distributed by him;
-
- (6) Certify to the legislature the election
returns for all officers
- required by the Constitution to be so certified, and
certify to the governor
- the names of all other persons who have received at
any election the highest
- number of votes for any office the incumbent of which
is to be commissioned
- by the governor;
-
- (7) Furnish, on demand, to any person paying the
fees therefor, a
- certified copy of all or any part of any law, record,
or other instrument
- filed, deposited, or recorded in the secretary of
state's office;
-
- (8) Present to the speaker of the house of
representatives, at the
- beginning of each regular session of the legislature
during an odd-numbered
- year, a full account of all purchases made and
expenses incurred by the
- secretary of state on account of the state;
-
- (9) File in his office an impression of each and
every seal in use by
- any state officer;
-
- [(10)] Keep a record of all fees charged
or received by the secretary
- of state.
-
-
- STATE
TREASURER
-
- RCW 43.08.010
- General duties.
- The State Treasurer shall:
- (1) Receive and keep all moneys of the state in
the manner provided in
- RCW 43.88.160, as now or hereafter amended;
-
- (2) Disburse the public moneys only upon
warrants or checks drawn upon
- the treasurer in the manner provided by law;
-
- (3) Account for moneys in the manner provided by
law;
-
- (4) Render accounts in the manner provided by
law;
-
- (5) Indorse on each warrant when required by
law, the date of payment,
- the amount of the principal, and the interest due on
that date;
-
- (6) Report annually to the legislature a
detailed statement of the
- condition of the treasury, and of its operations for
the preceding fiscal
- year;
-
- (7) Give information, in writing, to either
house of the legislature,
- whenever required, upon any subject connected with
the treasury, or touching
- any duty of his office;
-
- (8) Account for and pay over all moneys on hand
to his successor in
- office, and deliver all books, vouchers, and effects
of office to him, who
- shall receipt therefor;
-
- (9) Upon payment of any warrant, or check, take
upon the back thereof
- the indorsement of the person to whom it is
paid.
-
-
- STATE
AUDITOR
-
- RCW 43.09.050
- General duties of auditor.
- The Auditor shall:
- (1) Except as otherwise specifically provided by
law, audit the
- accounts of all collectors of the revenue and other
holders of public money
- required by law to pay the same into the
treasury;
-
- (2) In his or her discretion, inspect the books
of any person charged
- with the receipt, safekeeping, and disbursement of
public moneys;
-
- (3) Investigate improper governmental activity
under chapter 42.40 RCW;
-
- (4) Inform the attorney general in writing of
the necessity for the
- attorney general to direct prosecutions in the name
of the state for all
- official delinquencies in relation to the assessment,
collection, and
- payment of the revenue, against all persons who, by
any means, become
- possessed of public money or property, and fail to
pay over or deliver the
- same, and against all debtors of the state;
-
- (5) Give information in writing to the
legislature, whenever required,
- upon any subject relating to the financial affairs of
the state, or touching
- any duties of his or her office;
-
- (6) Report to the director of financial
management in writing the names
- of all persons who have received any moneys belonging
to the state, and have
- not accounted therefor;
-
- (7) Authenticate with his or her official seal
papers issued from his
- or her office;
-
- (8) Make his or her official report annually on
or before the 31st of
- December.
-
-
- ATTORNEY
GENERAL
-
- RCW 43.10.030
- General powers and duties.
- The Attorney General shall:
- (1) Appear for and represent the state before
the supreme court or the
- court of appeals in all cases in which the state is
interested;
-
- (2) Institute and prosecute all actions and
proceedings for, or for the
- use of the state, which may be necessary in the
execution of the duties of
- any state officer;
-
- (3) Defend all actions and proceedings against
any state officer or
- employee acting in his official capacity, in any of
the courts of this state
- or the United States;
-
- (4) Consult with and advise the several
prosecuting attorneys in
- matters relating to the duties of their office, and
when the interests of
- the state require, he shall attend the trial of any
person accused of a
- crime, and assist in the prosecution;
-
- (5) Consult with and advise the governor,
members of the legislature,
- and other state officers, and when requested, give
written opinions upon all
- constitutional or legal questions relating to the
duties of such officers;
-
- (6) Prepare proper drafts of contracts and other
instruments relating
- to subjects in which the state is interested;
-
- (7) Give written opinions, when requested by
either branch of the
- legislature, or any committee thereof, upon
constitutional or legal
- questions;
-
- (8) Enforce the proper application of funds
appropriated for the public
- institutions of the state, and prosecute corporations
for failure or refusal
- to make the reports required by law;
-
- (9) Keep in proper books a record of all cases
prosecuted or defended
- by him, on behalf of the state or its officers, and
of all proceedings had
- in relation thereto, and deliver the same to his
successor in office;
-
- (10) Keep books in which he shall record all the
official opinions
- given by him during his term of office, and deliver
the same to his
- successor in office;
-
- (11) Pay into the state treasury all moneys
received by him for the use
- of the state.
-
-
-
- INSURANCE
COMMISSIONER
-
- RCW 48.02.060
- General powers and duties.
- (1) The Insurance Commissioner shall have the
authority expressly conferred upon him
- by or reasonably implied from the provisions of this
code.
- (2) The commissioner shall execute his duties
and shall enforce the
- provisions of this code.
-
- (3) The commissioner may:
-
- (a) Make reasonable rules and regulations for
effectuating any
- provision of this code, except those relating to his
election,
- qualifications, or compensation. No such rules and
regulations shall be
- effective prior to their being filed for public
inspection in the
- commissioner's office.
-
- (b) Conduct investigations to determine whether
any person has violated
- any provision of this code.
-
- (c) Conduct examinations, investigations,
hearings, in addition to
- those specifically provided for, useful and proper
for the efficient
- administration of any provision of this code.
-
-
-
- COMMISSIONER
OF PUBLIC LANDS
-
- RCW 43.12.010
- Powers and duties -- Generally.
- The Commissioner of Public Lands shall
exercise such powers and perform such
- duties as are prescribed by law.
-
- RCW 43.30.130
- Department to exercise certain powers and duties --
Commissioner of public
- lands.
- The department [of Natural Resources] shall
exercise all of the powers,
- duties and functions now vested in the commissioner
of public lands and such
- powers, duties and functions are hereby transferred
to the department:
- PROVIDED, That nothing herein contained shall effect
his ex officio
- membership on any committee provided by law.
-
-
-
- SUPERINTENDENT
OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION
-
- RCW 28A.300.040
- Powers and duties.
- In addition to any other powers and duties as
provided by law, the powers
- and duties of the superintendent of public
instruction shall be:
- (1) To have supervision over all matters pertaining
to the public schools of
- the state;
-
- (2) To report to the governor and the legislature
such information and data
- as may be required for the management and improvement
of the schools;
-
- (3) To prepare and have printed such forms,
registers, courses of study,
- rules for the government of the common schools, and
such other material and
- books as may be necessary for the discharge of the
duties of teachers and
- officials charged with the administration of the laws
relating to the common
- schools, and to distribute the same to educational
service district
- superintendents;
-
- (4) To travel, without neglecting his or her other
official duties as
- superintendent of public instruction, for the purpose
of attending
- educational meetings or conventions, of visiting
schools, of consulting
- educational service district superintendents or other
school officials;
-
- (5) To prepare and from time to time to revise a
manual of the Washington
- state common school code, copies of which shall be
provided in such numbers
- as determined by the superintendent of public
instruction at no cost to
- those public agencies within the common school system
and which shall be
- sold at approximate actual cost of publication and
distribution per volume
- to all other public and nonpublic agencies or
individuals, said manual to
- contain Titles 28A and28C RCW, rules related to the
common schools, and such
- other matter as the state superintendent or the state
board of education
- shall determine. Proceeds of the sale of such code
shall be transmitted to
- the public printer who shall credit the state
superintendent's account
- within the state printing plant revolving fund by a
like amount;
-
- (6) To act as ex officio member and the chief
executive officer of the state
- board of education;
-
- (7) To file all papers, reports and public documents
transmitted to the
- superintendent by the school officials of the several
counties or districts
- of the state, each year separately. Copies of all
papers filed in the
- superintendent's office, and the superintendent's
official acts, may, or
- upon request, shall be certified by the
superintendent and attested by the
- superintendent's official seal, and when so certified
shall be evidence of
- the papers or acts so certified to;
-
- (8) To require annually, on or before the 15th day of
August, of the
- president, manager, or principal of every educational
institution in this
- state, a report as required by the superintendent of
public instruction; and
- it is the duty of every president, manager or
principal, to complete and
- return such forms within such time as the
superintendent of public
- instruction shall direct;
-
- (9) To keep in the superintendent's office a record
of all teachers
- receiving certificates to teach in the common schools
of this state;
-
- (10) To issue certificates as provided by law;
-
- (11) To keep in the superintendent's office at the
capital of the state, all
- books and papers pertaining to the business of the
superintendent's office,
- and to keep and preserve in the superintendent's
office a complete record of
- statistics, as well as a record of the meetings of
the state board of
- education;
-
- (12) With the assistance of the office of the
attorney general, to decide
- all points of law which may be submitted to the
superintendent in writing by
- any educational service district superintendent, or
that may be submitted to
- the superintendent by any other person, upon appeal
from the decision of any
- educational service district superintendent; and the
superintendent shall
- publish his or her rulings and decisions from time to
time for the
- information of school officials and teachers; and the
superintendent's
- decision shall be final unless set aside by a court
of competent
- jurisdiction;
-
- (13) To administer oaths and affirmations in the
discharge of the
- superintendent's official duties;
-
- (14) To deliver to his or her successor, at the
expiration of the
- superintendent's term of office, all records, books,
maps, documents and
- papers of whatever kind belonging to the
superintendent's office or which
- may have been received by the superintendent's for
the use of the
- superintendent's office;
-
- (15) To administer family services and programs to
promote the state's
- policy as provided in RCW 74.14A.025;
-
- (16) To perform such other duties as may be required
by law.
-
-
- COUNTY
ASSESSOR
-
- RCW 84.38.110
- Duties of county assessor.
- The County Assessor shall:
- (1) Immediately transmit one copy of each declaration
to defer to the
- department of revenue. The department may audit any
declaration and shall
- notify the assessor as soon as possible of any claim
where any factor
- appears to disqualify the claimant for the deferral
sought.
-
- (2) Transmit one copy of each declaration to defer a
special assessment to
- the local improvement district which imposed such
assessment.
-
- (3) Compute the dollar tax rate for the county as if
any deferrals provided
- by this chapter did not exist.
-
- (4) As soon as possible notify the department of
revenue and the county
- treasurer of the amount of real property taxes
deferred for that year and
- notify the department of revenue and the respective
treasurers of municipal
- corporations of the amount of special assessments
deferred for each local
- improvement district within such unit.
-
-
- COUNTY
AUDITOR
-
- RCW 36.22.010
- Duties of auditor.
- The County Auditor:
- (1) Shall be recorder of deeds and other
instruments in writing which
- by law are to be filed and recorded in and for the
county for which he or
- she is elected;
-
- (2) Shall keep an account current with the
county treasurer, charge all
- money received as shown by receipts issued and credit
all disbursements paid
- out according to the record of settlement of the
treasurer with the
- legislative authority;
-
- (3) Shall make out and transmit to the state
auditor a complete
- statement of the state fund account with the county
for the past fiscal year
- certified by his or her certificate and seal,
immediately after the
- completion of the annual settlement of the county
treasurer with the
- legislative authority. The statement must be
available to the public;
-
- (4) Shall make available a complete exhibit of
the prior-year finances
- of the county including, but not limited to, a
statement of financial
- condition and financial operation in accordance with
standards developed by
- the state auditor. This exhibit shall be made
available after the financial
- records are closed for the prior year;
-
- (5) Shall make out a register of all warrants
legally authorized and
- directed to be issued by the legislative body at any
regular or special
- meeting. The auditor shall make the data available to
the county treasurer.
- The auditor shall retain the original of the register
of warrants for future
- reference;
-
- (6) As clerk of the board of county
commissioners, shall:
-
- Record all of the proceedings of the legislative
authority;
-
- Make full entries of all of their resolutions
and decisions on all
- questions concerning the raising of money for and the
allowance of accounts
- against the county;
-
- Record the vote of each member on any question
upon which there is a
- division or at the request of any member
present;
-
- Sign all orders made and warrants issued by
order of the legislative
- authority for the payment of money;
-
- Record the reports of the county treasurer of
the receipts and
- disbursements of the county;
-
- Preserve and file all accounts acted upon by the
legislative authority;
-
- Preserve and file all petitions and applications
for franchises and
- record the action of the legislative authority
thereon;
-
- Record all orders levying taxes;
-
- Perform all other duties required by any rule or
order of the
- legislative authority.
-
-
- COUNTY
TREASURER
-
- RCW 36.29.010
- General duties.
- The county treasurer:
- (1) Shall receive all money due the county and
disburse it on warrants
- issued and attested by the county auditor and
electronic funds transfer
- under RCW 39.58.750 as attested by the county
auditor;
-
- (2) Shall issue a receipt in duplicate for all
money received other
- than taxes; the treasurer shall deliver immediately
to the person making the
- payment the original receipt and the duplicate shall
be retained by the
- treasurer;
-
- (3) Shall affix on the face of all paid warrants
the date of redemption
- or, in the case of proper contract between the
treasurer and a qualified
- public depositary, the treasurer may consider the
date affixed by the
- financial institution as the date of redemption;
-
- (4) Shall endorse, before the date of issue by
the county or by any
- taxing district for whom the county treasurer acts as
treasurer, on the face
- of all warrants for which there are not sufficient
funds for payment,
- "interest bearing warrant." When there are funds to
redeem outstanding
- warrants, the county treasurer shall give
notice:
-
- (a) By publication in a legal newspaper
published or circulated in the
- county; or
-
- (b) By posting at three public places in the
county if there is no such
- newspaper; or
-
- (c) By notification to the financial institution
holding the warrant;
-
- (5) Shall pay interest on all interest-bearing
warrants from the date
- of issue to the date of notification;
-
- (6) Shall maintain financial records reflecting
receipts and
- disbursement by fund in accordance with generally
accepted accounting
- principles;
-
- (7) Shall account for and pay all bonded
indebtedness for the county
- and all special districts for which the county
treasurer acts as treasurer;
-
- (8) Shall invest all funds of the county or any
special district in the
- treasurer's custody, not needed for immediate
expenditure, in a manner
- consistent with appropriate statutes. If cash is
needed to redeem warrants
- issued from any fund in the custody of the treasurer,
the treasurer shall
- liquidate investments in an amount sufficient to
cover such warrant
- redemptions; and
-
- (9) May provide certain collection services for
county departments.
-
- The treasurer, at the expiration of the term of
office, shall make a
- complete settlement with the county legislative
authority, and shall deliver
- to the successor all public money, books, and papers
in the treasurer's
- possession.
-
- Money received by all entities for whom the
county treasurer serves as
- treasurer must be deposited within twenty-four hours
unless a waiver is
- granted by the county treasurer in accordance with
RCW 43.09.240.
-
-
-
- The powers and duties of
County Clerks and
Coroners are not
concisely
- defined in a single section of the RCW as the other
offices listed above.
- The county courthouse is a better resource for these
job descriptions.
-
-
-
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