Terms Used In Washington Code > Chapter 41.06 - State civil service law

• Affirmative action: means a procedure by which racial minorities, women, persons in the protected age category, persons with disabilities, Vietnam-era veterans, and disabled veterans are provided with increased employment opportunities. See Washington Code 41.06.020
• Agency: means an office, department, board, commission, or other separate unit or division, however designated, of the state government and all personnel thereof; it includes any unit of state government established by law, the executive officer or members of which are either elected or appointed, upon which the statutes confer powers and impose duties in connection with operations of either a governmental or proprietary nature. See Washington Code 41.06.020
• Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
• Appraisal: A determination of property value.
• Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
• Board: means the Washington personnel resources board established under the provisions of RCW 41. See Washington Code 41.06.020
• boards: when used in RCW 41. See Washington Code 41.06.020
• Career development: means the progressive development of employee capabilities to facilitate productivity, job satisfaction, and upward mobility through work assignments as well as education and training that are both state-sponsored and are achieved by individual employee efforts, all of which shall be consistent with the needs and obligations of the state and its agencies. See Washington Code 41.06.020
• Classified service: means all positions in the state service subject to the provisions of this chapter. See Washington Code 41.06.020
• Comparable worth: means the provision of similar salaries for positions that require or impose similar responsibilities, judgments, knowledge, skills, and working conditions. See Washington Code 41.06.020
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
• Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
• Department: means an agency of government that has as its governing officer a person, or combination of persons such as a commission, board, or council, by law empowered to operate the agency responsible either to (a) no other public officer or (b) the governor. See Washington Code 41.06.020
• Director: means the director of financial management or the director's designee. See Washington Code 41.06.020
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. ^Source:
• Entitlement: A Federal program or provision of law that requires payments to any person or unit of government that meets the eligibility criteria established by law. Entitlements constitute a binding obligation on the part of the Federal Government, and eligible recipients have legal recourse if the obligation is not fulfilled. Social Security and veterans' compensation and pensions are examples of entitlement programs.
• Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
• Ex officio: Literally, by virtue of one's office.
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• Institutions of higher education: means the University of Washington, Washington State University, Central Washington University, Eastern Washington University, Western Washington University, The Evergreen State College, and the various state community colleges. See Washington Code 41.06.020
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• Noncompetitive service: means all positions in the classified service for which a competitive examination is not required. See Washington Code 41.06.020
• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• person: may be construed to include the United States, this state, or any state or territory, or any public or private corporation or limited liability company, as well as an individual. See Washington Code 1.16.080
• Precedent: A court decision in an earlier case with facts and law similar to a dispute currently before a court. Precedent will ordinarily govern the decision of a later similar case, unless a party can show that it was wrongly decided or that it differed in some significant way.
• Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• Related boards: means the state board for community and technical colleges; and such other boards, councils, and commissions related to higher education as may be established. See Washington Code 41.06.020
• Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
• Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Training: means activities designed to develop job-related knowledge and skills of employees. See Washington Code 41.06.020
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.