_______________________________________________

 

                                ENGROSSED SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL NO. 6308

                        _______________________________________________

                                                            AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE

 

                                                                            C 234 L 88

 

 

State of Washington                              50th Legislature                              1988 Regular Session

 

By Senate Committee on Children & Family Services (originally sponsored by Senators Bailey and Kiskaddon)

 

 

Read first time 2/4/88.

 

 


AN ACT Relating to juvenile court training; amending RCW 2.56.030; and creating a new section.

 

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

 

          NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1.     The legislature recognizes the need for appropriate training of juvenile court judges, attorneys, court personnel, and service providers in the dependency system and at-risk youth systems.

 

        Sec. 2.  Section 3, chapter 259, Laws of 1957 as last amended by section 6, chapter 363, Laws of 1987 and RCW 2.56.030 are each amended to read as follows:

          The administrator for the courts shall, under the supervision and direction of chief justice:

          (1) Examine the administrative methods and systems employed in the offices of the judges, clerks, stenographers, and employees of the courts and make recommendations, through the chief justice, for the improvement of the same;

          (2) Examine the state of the dockets of the courts and determine the need for assistance by any court;

          (3) Make recommendations to the chief justice relating to the assignment of judges where courts are in need of assistance and carry out the direction of the chief justice as to the assignments of judges to counties and districts where the courts are in need of assistance;

          (4) Collect and compile statistical and other data and make reports of the business transacted by the courts and transmit the same to the chief justice to the end that proper action may be taken in respect thereto;

          (5) Prepare and submit budget estimates of state appropriations necessary for the maintenance and operation of the judicial system and make recommendations in respect thereto;

          (6) Collect statistical and other data and make reports relating to the expenditure of public moneys, state and local, for the maintenance and operation of the judicial system and the offices connected therewith;

          (7) Obtain reports from clerks of courts in accordance with law or rules adopted by the supreme court of this state on cases and other judicial business in which action has been delayed beyond periods of time specified by law or rules of court and make report thereof to supreme court of this state;

          (8) Act as secretary of the judicial conference referred to in RCW 2.56.060;

          (9) Formulate and submit to the judicial council of this state recommendations of policies for the improvement of the judicial system;

          (10) Submit annually, as of February 1st, to the chief justice and the judicial council, a report of the activities of the administrator's office for the preceding calendar year;

          (11) Administer programs and standards for the training and education of judicial personnel;

          (12) Examine the need for new superior court and district judge positions under a weighted caseload analysis that takes into account the time required to hear all the cases in a particular court and the amount of time existing judges have available to hear cases in that court.  The results of the weighted caseload analysis shall be reviewed by the board for judicial administration and the judicial council, both of which shall make recommendations to the legislature by January 1, 1989.  It is the intent of the legislature that weighted caseload analysis become the basis for creating additional district court positions, and recommendations  should address that objective; ((and))

          (13) Attend to such other matters as may be assigned by the supreme court of this state; and

          (14) Develop a curriculum for a general understanding of child development and treatment resources, as well as specific legal skills and knowledge of relevant statutes including chapters 13.32A and 13.34 RCW, cases, court rules, interviewing skills, and special needs of the abused or neglected child.  This curriculum shall be completed and made available to all juvenile court judges, court personnel, and service providers by July 1, 1988.


                                                                                                                           Passed the Senate March 8, 1988.

 

                                                                                                                                       President of the Senate.

 

                                                                                                                           Passed the House March 6, 1988.

 

                                                                                                                                         Speaker of the House.