some pending bills WA legislature - Democratic Underground

paulsby

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Sat Jan-23-10 08:29 PM
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some pending bills WA legislature

these sound pretty good to me. i especially like SB6316. WA local and state law enforcement have little to no access to DOC (our version of dept. of parole) information. in most other states, if a law enforcement officer contact a parolee, a name check will reveal the parole status AS well as the conditions of their parole, etc. iow, if a parolee is prohibited from being in a bar, the officer instantly knows this and can make arrests for parole violation. not in WA. one, the information is generally not instantly available to general LEO's (only DOC personnel) AND LEO's have no statutory authority to enforce these conditions. iow, a parolee (or as we call it in WA state, a person who is in "community custody" lol) can be prohibited from consuming liquor, or being in the company of minors under the age of 18 w/o supervision, but an officer who finds a parolee in such a situation wouldn't even be aware of those conditions, nor does he have any authority to arrest if he finds a violation. this is simply ridiculous.

SJR 8218 - Constitutional Amendment Restricting Bail - Would give courts the ability to deny bail to those individuals facing charges which could result in life imprisonment without possibility of parole.

SB 5929 - Correctional Employees Firearms - Would permit properly trained correctional employees to carry firearms, without needing to obtain a concealed weapons permit.

SB 6188 - 10 Percent Bail Bond Requirement - Would establish a minimum bond fee of 10 percent for crimes against persons, which include felony DUI, stalking, violation of a domestic-violence no-contact order, etc.

SB 6308 - Computer Access at SCC - Would prohibit any person committed or detained at the Special Commitment Center on McNeil Island from accessing a personal computer unless the resident's treatment plan states that such access is necessary.

SB 6309 - Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity Inheritance - Would prohibit a person found not guilty by reason of insanity in a murder case from benefiting by their action, closing a gaping loophole in state law that conceivably allows an NGRI patient to collect on a life insurance policy or inheritance after causing the death of a spouse or family member.

SB 6310 - Guilty and Mentally Ill - A defendant who pleads not guilty by reason of insanity may instead be found "guilty and mentally ill". The defendant will receive the same sentence that any other defendant convicted of the same crime would receive and would be committed to a secure mental health facility operated by the Department of Social and Health Services before being discharged to DOC to complete his or her sentence.

SB 6311 - Body Armor Sentencing Enhancement - Would enhance the sentence for those who commit felonies while wearing body armor, posing a significant threat to law enforcement officers and the general public.

SB 6313 - Bench Warrants Executed by Bail Bond Agents - Would allow courts of limited jurisdiction to enter into agreements with bail bond agencies to execute bench warrants.

SB 6314 - Minimum Security Facilities - Would allow cities and counties to maintain minimum-security special detention facilities.

SB 6315 - Home Detention Requirements for Community Custody Violations - Would eliminate the possibility of home detention or any other alternative to confinement for offenders who commit violations involving firearms and have a prior domestic violence conviction.

SB 6316 - Release Information, Access to DOC Database, Local Police Arresting Authority – Would require automatic notification to DOC of the release or escape of an inmate housed in any city or county jail and is under DOC supervision. It would also provide local law enforcement real-time access to the statewide corrections Offender Management Network Information (OMNI) system which would give the ability to track offenders' conditions of release, and provide local law enforcement the ability to detain offenders in violation of their conditions of release with or without an arrest warrant having been issued.

SB 6317 - Assault of Police Officer - Would raise assault of a law enforcement officer with a deadly weapon, while the officer is performing his or her official duties, to a first-degree crime.

SB 6318 - Hospital Reporting Violent Injuries - Would require hospitals to report to a local law enforcement authority, as soon as possible, patients who have experienced gunshot wounds or stab wounds, whether the patient is unconscious or not.