ENGROSSED SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 1643

ByHouse State Government & Tribal Relations (originally sponsored by Representatives Doglio, Walsh, Dolan, Irwin, Orwall, Lovick, Macri, Appleton, Shewmake, Jinkins, Davis, Frame, and Leavitt)

AN ACT Relating to property ownership for participants in the address confidentiality program; amending RCW 40.24.010; and adding a new section to chapter 40.24 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1. RCW 40.24.010 and 2008 c 312 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

The legislature finds that persons attempting to escape from actual or threatened domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking, or stalking frequently establish new addresses in order to prevent their assailants or probable assailants from finding them. The purpose of this chapter is to enable state and local agencies to respond to requests for public records without disclosing the location of a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking, or stalking, to enable interagency cooperation with the secretary of state in providing address confidentiality for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking, or stalking, and to enable state and local agencies to accept a program participant's use of an address designated by the secretary of state as a substitute mailing address. The legislature further intends to provide assistance to program participants who own or desire to own property in the state to protect such ownership from public disclosure.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 40.24 RCW to read as follows:

The secretary of state shall enter into an interagency agreement with the office of civil legal aid to develop and make available information, online self-help resources, and other legal aid services to help participants to own property in the state without public disclosure of such ownership. These resources must also include information to help participants purchase property in the name of a nonprofit organization or corporation, without public disclosure of ownership, in order to establish a safe house for other participants or for sex trafficking victims. The secretary of state and the state and local agencies and nonprofit agencies designated by the secretary of state under RCW 40.24.080 shall publicize the availability of legal resources and assistance under this section to program participants and applicants. The secretary of state may not provide direct legal resources and assistance to participants. No fee may be charged to the participants for legal assistance under this section. This section creates no individual right to legal assistance or representation in litigation at public expense.

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