S-0863.3

SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5215


State of Washington	64th Legislature	2015 Regular Session

By Senate Law & Justice (originally sponsored by Senators Roach, Pedersen, Kohl-Welles, Baumgartner, Padden, Darneille, Keiser, Benton, and O'Ban)

READ FIRST TIME 02/11/15.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) The legislature finds that the internet crimes against children task force program, through the United States department of justice, helps state and local law enforcement agencies develop an effective response to technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation and internet crimes against children. This help encompasses forensic and investigative components, training and technical assistance, victim services, and community education. The program is a national network of sixty-one coordinated task forces representing over three thousand five hundred federal, state, and local law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies. In calendar year 2013, the program's investigations contributed to the arrests of more than seven thousand four hundred individuals and task forces conducted over sixty thousand ninety-eight forensic examinations. Additionally, the program trained over thirty thousand law enforcement personnel, over three thousand five hundred prosecutors, and more than five thousand three hundred other professionals working in the program's field.

(2) The legislature finds that there is a lack of dedicated state resources to combat internet-facilitated crimes against children. As a result, many of the cases involving internet-facilitated crimes are not adequately investigated. The legislature further finds that a minimum of fifteen full-time affiliate investigators and three forensic examiners are currently needed even to just investigate the very worst of these cases in Washington. It is the intent of the legislature to create an account dedicated to combating internet-facilitated crimes against children, promoting education on internet safety to the public and to minors, and rescuing child victims from abuse and exploitation.

Unclaimed prizes shall be retained in the state lottery account for the person entitled thereto for one hundred eighty days after the drawing in which the prize is won, or after the official end of the game for instant prizes. If no claim is made for the prize within this time, all rights to the prize shall be extinguished, and the prize shall be retained in the state lottery fund for further use as prizes, except ((that)):

On July 1, 2009, June 30, 2010, and June 30, 2011, all unclaimed prize money retained in the state lottery account in excess of three million dollars, excluding amounts distributed to the economic development strategic reserve account, shall be transferred into the state general fund.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. The Washington internet crimes against children account is created in the state treasury. All receipts from RCW 67.70.190(2) must be deposited in the account. Expenditures from the account must be used exclusively by the Washington internet crimes against children task force and its affiliate agencies for combating internet-facilitated crimes against children, promoting education on internet safety to the public and to minors, and rescuing child victims from abuse and exploitation. Only the director of the Washington association of sheriffs and police chiefs or the director's designee may authorize expenditures from the account. The Washington association of sheriffs and police chiefs may deduct reasonable administrative costs not to exceed three percent of expenditures. The account is subject to allotment procedures under chapter 43.88 RCW, but an appropriation is not required for expenditures.