Serving in the state Legislature might seem like a thankless task these days, considering budgetary shortfalls being measured in the billions.

But that doesn’t seem to deter citizens from wanting the part-time job that pays $42,106 annually.

The state’s Public Disclosure Commission already has a list of candidates who have filed paperwork necessary to run for 31st District postions in the fall elections. Up for grabs will be both the Position 1 and Position 2 seats in the House of Representatives and the district’s lone seat in the state Senate.

Candidates will not officially file for office until June, but are required to file with the PDC once they make a formal announcement or begin accepting campaign donations.

The seven names already on file include House incumbents Dan Roach and Christopher Hurst, along with Sen. Pam Roach. Also on record for the Position 1 seat now held by Roach are Democrats Raymond Bunk and Ron Weigelt, both of Bonney Lake, and Republican Cathy Dahlquist of Enumclaw. Weigelt ran for the Position 1 House seat in 2008.

Patrick Reed of Sumner has filed with the PDC for a House seat, but has not indicated which position he’s seeking. A decision is not required until the formal filing period.

As of last week, no one had filed with the PDC for the seats held by Hurst or Pam Roach.

The PDC documents show the advantage of being an incumbent when it comes to raising money.

According to documents on file, through December, Dan Roach’s campaign had a balance of more than $60,000, Pam Roach showed a balance in excess of $29,000 and Hurst tallied nearly $24,000. The other candidates showed minimal contributions.

Among the largest contributors to the Dan Roach campaign are the Washington Credit Union League, Delta Dental and a political action committee representing the state’s snowmobilers, all giving $800.

Delta Dental also contributed $800 to the Hurst campaign, as did the Muckleshoot Tribe and the Washington Chiropractic Trust.

PDC files also show the attention paid to state races by out-of-state interests. For example, Pam Roach received $800 each from Phillip Morris, the tobacco interest headquartered in Virginia, the Chevron Corporation of California and Pfizer pharmaceuticals.

Dan Roach received $800 each from Phillip Morris, Allstate Insurance of Illinois and the BNSF Railway Co. of Texas and $500 from the 3M Corporation of Minnesota.

Hurst has received $800 from Chevron and $500 from Johnson and Johnson of New Jersey.