Government of Washington (state)
The government of Washington State is the governmental structure of the State of Washington, United States, as established by the Constitution of the State of Washington. The executive is composed of the Governor, several other statewide elected officials and the Governor's cabinet. The Washington State Legislature consists of the House of Representatives and State Senate. The judiciary is composed of the Washington Supreme Court and lower courts. There is also local government, consisting of counties, municipalities and special districts. Executive The executive branch of the state's government is organized as a plural executive, in which the heads of the principal departments are filled by individually elected officials. In addition to the Governor of Washington, the state constitutional officers are the Lieutenant Governor, the Attorney General, the Secretary of State, the Treasurer, the Auditor, the Commissioner of Public Lands, and the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Additionally, a number of state departments are governed and managed by independent commissions, including the Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Department of Transportation. Heads of the remaining departments are appointed by the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Washington State Senate. The Governor also enjoys a line item veto, the power to issue pardons and commute death sentences, and they act as commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The offices of each of the state constitutional officers are established in the Washington constitution, with the exception of that of the Insurance Commissioner, which was created by statute. They are each elected on a partisan ballot to concurrent four-year terms, except for the Superintendent of Public Instruction who is officially non-partisan. The current Governor is Jay Inslee (D), the Lieutenant Governor is Denny Heck (D), the Attorney General is Bob Ferguson (D), the Secretary of State is Steve Hobbs (D), the Treasurer is Mike Pellicciotti (D), the Auditor is Pat McCarthy (D), the Public Lands Commissioner is Hilary Franz (D), and the Insurance Commissioner is Mike Kreidler (D). The Superintendent of Public Instruction is Chris Reykdal. The main administrative departments are: Agriculture (WSDA) Archaeology and Historic Preservation (DAHP) Commerce (COM) Corrections (DOC) Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) Ecology (ECY) Employment Security Department (ESD) Washington State Technology Solutions (WaTech) Financial Institutions (DFI) Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Health (DOH) Labor and Industries (L&I) Licensing (DOL) Washington Military Department (MIL) Natural Resources (DNR) Puget Sound Partnership Retirement Systems (DRS) Revenue (DOR) Services for the Blind (DSB) Social and Health Services (DSHS) Transportation (WSDOT) Veterans Affairs (DVA) The Washington State Register (WSR) is a biweekly publication that includes activities of the government. The Washington Administrative Code (WAC) is the codification of regulations arranged by subject and agency. Legislature The Washington State Legislature is the state's legislative branch. The state legislature is bicameral and is composed of a lower House of Representatives and an upper State Senate. The state is divided into 49 legislative districts of equal population, each of which elects two representatives and one senator. Representatives serve two-year terms, while senators serve for four years. There