Qualifications All persons, living or dead, except elected officials and current political candidates, are eligible to receive the medal. The medal is bestowed by the
Governor of Washington on the advice of the "medal of merit committee," which is composed of the governor himself, as well as the chief justice of the
Washington State Supreme Court, the speaker of the
Washington State House of Representatives, and the president of the
Washington State Senate. The
Washington Secretary of State serves as the committee's secretary. The process for nomination is not set by law, but, under current rules adopted by the committee, any person may nominate a qualified candidate through submission of a letter of nomination to the secretary of state who periodically presents received nominations to the committee for consideration. While there are no residency requirements for the Medal of Merit, all recipients to-date were either born in Washington or lived there at the time of their decoration.
Design and presentation The Medal of Merit is made from solid bronze. In addition to the recipient's name, the reverse reads "For exceptionally meritorious conduct in performing outstanding services to the people and state of Washington." By custom, the medal is awarded by the Governor to a slate of recipients during a joint session of the
Washington State Senate and
Washington State House of Representatives convened for that purpose. The authorizing legislation does not specify a frequency for issuing the medal, therefore, it has generally been awarded with irregularity. ==Background==