Bills impacting many areas of public safety and criminal justice advanced out of their respective chambers.
HB 2231 modifies the crime of bail jumping by limiting it to apply only to individuals charged with or convicted of violent or sex offenses. For other criminal charges, individuals who fail to appear may be charged with “failure to appear or surrender.” This provides leeway to defendants who may inadvertently miss a court hearing. The House passed HB 2231 and the bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.
HB 2318 updates 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. The House passed HB 2318 with a strong majority. 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 2473 includes intimate partners in the list of individuals against whom a party may receive emergency protection orders during suspected domestic violence. Additionally, the bill modifies Assault in the fourth degree involving domestic violence by expanding the types of prior offenses that can elevate a present offense to a felony. The House passed HB 2473 unanimously. The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.
HB 2632 sets new standards and criminal penalties for falsely reporting an emergency. Criminal charges could range from a gross misdemeanor to a class B felony. In certain cases, injured parties can file a civil suit against the guilty party. The House passed HB 2632 unanimously. The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.
SB 6215 requires the Office of Public Defense, the Department of Social and Health Services, and the Health Care Authority to improve upon the existing process for verifying to courts that an individual receives public assistance, in order to assist the court with a determination of indigency. The Senate passed SB 6215 unanimously. The bill now moves to the House for consideration.
SB 6537 increases the membership of the Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC) to 15 members from 14 members. The additional member must 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. The Senate passed SB 6537 unanimously. The bill now moves to the House for consideration.