Washington State

Office of the Attorney General

Attorney General

Bob Ferguson

AGO 1980 NO. 1 >

(1) Except where prohibited by RCW 42.17.260(5), inspection and copying of an assessor's property tax assessment roll and supporting materials must be allowed unless the specific exemptions covering taxpayer information, as set forth in RCW 42.17.310(1)(c) and RCW 84.40.020, are applicable in a given case.  (2) Real property assessment rolls prepared pursuant to RCW 84.40.020 and 84.40.160 are lists of taxable property and not individuals and, therefore, their disclosure is not prohibited by RCW 42.17.260(5) even for a commercial purpose; whether this is also true of personal property assessment rolls will depend upon their actual form.

AGO 1961 NO. 1 >

The board of county commissioners is authorized to lease and operate a ferry connecting a public highway within the county with a public highway in the state of Oregon.

AGO 1974 NO. 1 >

The provisions of § 4 (1), chapter 202, Laws of 1973, 1st Ex. Sess., do not prohibit persons obtaining specific investigative information regarding organized crime activities by reason of their public employment with the state of Washington or its political subdivisions from divulging that information to nonlaw enforcement agencies such as mayors, city councils, licensing departments, legislative committees or other regulatory bodies when called upon to do so in the performance of their official functions and duties.

AGO 1965 NO. 2 >

If the legislature at its present session were to enact a law increasing the salaries of legislators effective for the terms commencing in January, 1967, the passage of such a law would not render the members of the legislature ineligible to seek re‑election [[reelection]].

AGO 1961 NO. 2 >

A statute providing that the state superintendent of public instruction shall be subordinate to the state board of education and be subject to its direction in matters pertaining to the public schools would be unconstitutional.

AGO 1968 NO. 2 >

(1) The judge with whom an application for an occupational driver's license is filed, rather than the director of the department of motor vehicles, has the initial responsibility to determine the eligibility of an applicant to be issued an occupational driver's license. (2) The director of the department of motor vehicles may review a court order for the issuance of an occupational driver's license in light of the department's own records to see if there has been compliance with both the procedural and substantive requirements of RCW 46.20.380 and 46.20.390. (3) Proof of the financial responsibility of an applicant for an occupational driver's license must be filed before a judge can issue an order for the issuance of an occupational driver's license. (4) A person who has been convicted for the first time of a particular offense relating to motor vehicles which requires the mandatory suspension or revocation of his driver's license, other than negligent homicide or manslaughter, is eligible for issuance of an occupational driver's license even though he has previously been convicted of other offenses relating to motor vehicles, also requiring the mandatory suspension or revocation of a driver's license, so long as at least one year has elapsed since his last previous conviction of such an offense; conversely, if the immediate conviction does not constitute the applicant's first conviction of the particular offense, he is not eligible for such a driver's license.

AGLO 1982 NO. 2 >

The department of Social and Health Services is not authorized to provide and pay for tax deferred annuities for those employees of the department eligible for such annuities pursuant to § 403(b) of the Internal Revenue Code;  however, those employees may be covered by the state deferred compensation program authorized by RCW 41.04.250-41.04.260.

AGO 1972 NO. 2 >

(1) The Washington state parks and recreation commission has the authority, under RCW 43.51.680, to regulate the times and places where automobiles may be driven on and along the ocean beach highways designated and established under RCW 79.16.130, RCW 79.16.160 and RCW 79.16.170. (2) The parks commission, in the exercise of this authority, may not totally exclude vehicular traffic from all such beaches at all times.

AGO 1990 NO. 2 >

1.  When the Governor appoints a Director of Wildlife pursuant to RCW 43.17.020, to serve at the pleasure of the Governor, and notifies the Senate as required by RCW 43.06.030, the Governor has exercised the power of appointment.  The appointment is complete and effective unless the Senate rejects the appointment pursuant to RCW 43.06.092. 2.  If there is a vacancy in the office of Director of Wildlife, RCW 43.17.040 allows the Governor to make a temporary appointment by either leaving the chief assistant in charge of the department or appointing an acting director.  RCW 43.17.020 prohibits the Governor from leaving such a temporary appointee in charge of the Department of Wildlife for more than one year. 3.   If a Director of Wildlife, who is not a temporary director and has not been rejected by the Senate, resigns the office, the Governor may immediately reappoint the same individual to that office.

AGO 1959 NO. 2 >

The legislature may not provide for the use of the principal assets of the permanent common school fund, scientific school permanent fund, university permanent fund, normal school permanent fund, agriculture college permanent fund, Millersylvania Park fund and C. E. P. & R. I. fund for capital outlay or current operations.