Sec. 24.60.010. - Legislative findings and purpose.
The legislature finds that
(1) high moral and ethical standards among public servants in the legislative branch of government are essential to assure the trust, respect, and confidence of the people of this state;
(2) a fair and open government requires that legislators and legislative employees conduct the public's business in a manner that preserves the integrity of the legislative process and avoids conflicts of interest or even appearances of conflicts of interest;
(3) the public's commitment to a part-time citizen legislature requires legislators be drawn from all parts of society and the best way to attract competent people is to acknowledge that they provide their time and energy to the state, often at substantial personal and financial sacrifice;
(4) a part-time citizen legislature implies that legislators are expected and permitted to earn outside income and that the rules governing legislators' conduct during and after leaving public service must be clear, fair, and as complete as possible; the rules, however, should not impose unreasonable or unnecessary burdens that will discourage citizens from entering or staying in government service;
(5) in order for the rules governing conduct to be respected both during and after leaving public service, the code must be administered fairly without bias or favoritism;
(6) no code of conduct, however comprehensive, can anticipate all situations in which violations may occur nor can it prescribe behaviors that are appropriate to every situation; in addition, laws and regulations regarding ethical responsibilities cannot legislate morality, eradicate corruption, or eliminate bad judgment;
(7) compliance with a code of ethics is an individual responsibility; thus all who serve the legislature have a solemn responsibility to avoid improper conduct and prevent improper behavior by colleagues and subordinates;
(8) the purpose of this chapter is to establish standards of conduct for state legislators and legislative employees and to establish the Select Committee on Legislative Ethics to consider alleged violations of this chapter and to render advisory opinions to persons affected by this chapter.