Senators will take public comment this week on several bills impacting law enforcement and the criminal justice system.

HB 1504 updates impaired driving sentencing. The bill increases penalties for impaired driving, grants courts greater discretion in sentencing, and changes qualifications for forensic phlebotomists. AWC supports the bill in its current form.

HB 2318updates the process for managing sexual assault kits (SAKs) in Washington. The bill requires police departments to store unreported SAKs for 20 years from the time a kit is collected. After passing the House, the bill now moves to the Senate for consideration. AWC supports the policy in the underlying bill but has concerns related to the cost of storing SAKs. We will continue to work with the prime sponsor to address our concerns.

HB 2483 removes provisions that require impoundment of a vehicle in every case that a driver is arrested for impaired driving. The bill allows an officer to make a discretionary decision to impound a vehicle. However, when an officer makes a discretionary decision to impound a vehicle in an impaired driving case, the vehicle cannot be redeemed for 12 hours after an arrest. AWC supports the bill in its current form.

HB 2499 sets forth new requirements for corrections officers working in adult jails and detention facilities. Under this bill, corrections officers are required to complete a ten-week basic corrections officer training through the Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC). The training requirements applies to corrections officers who are hired on or after July 1, 2021.

HB 2785 increases the membership of the CJTC from 14 members to 15 members. The bill requires the additional member to be a private citizen—this raises the total number of private citizens on the CJTC to two. One private citizen must be from western Washington and the other from eastern Washington. One of the private citizens must be from a historically underrepresented community.

HB 2789 establishes a “use of deadly force” database managed by the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC). All local law enforcement agencies will report all use of deadly force incidences to WASPC following guidelines established by the association. WASPC will publish the reported findings on an annual basis.

HB 2792 underwent a significant rewrite. Under the amendments, law enforcement agencies are only required to enter missing person cases into the Nation Crime Information Center through the state patrol electronic database. WASPC is responsible for regularly transmitting statewide information into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.

Dates to remember

HB 1504, HB 2483, HB 2499, HB 2785, HB 2789, and HB 2792 are scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Law & Justice Committee at 10 am on Tuesday, February 25. The bills are then scheduled for a committee vote at 10 am on Thursday, February 27.

HB 2318 is scheduled for a vote in the Senate Law & Justice Committee at 10 am on Thursday, February 27.