SENATE BILL REPORT

                                    HB 1371

           AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON LAW & JUSTICE, APRIL 5, 1991

Brief Description:  Modifying probation assessment provisions.

SPONSORS:Representatives Hargrove, Winsley, Prentice, Morris, Tate, Riley, Leonard, H. Myers, D. Sommers, Wynne, Moyer, Miller and May; by request of Department of Corrections.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES

SENATE COMMITTEE ON LAW & JUSTICE

Majority Report:  Do pass.

      Signed by Senators Nelson, Chairman; Thorsness, Vice Chairman; Erwin, Hayner, L. Kreidler, Madsen, Newhouse, Rasmussen, and A. Smith. 

Staff:  Dick Armstrong (786‑7460)

Hearing Dates:April 3, 1991; April 5, 1991

BACKGROUND:

The Department of Community Corrections, within the Department of Corrections, is responsible for managing felony offenders within local communities.  Community correction officers monitor offender behavior and direct offenders towards acceptable lifestyles through involvement in community-based rehabilitative programs.  The programs provided include: community supervision, work training release, and victim and witness notification.

The Department of Corrections charges offenders the cost, or part of the cost, of providing community supervision services.  Currently, the court is responsible for establishing or changing the amount of supervision fees that an offender is required to pay.  If the offender's ability to pay the supervision fee changes, the state is required to take the offender back to court to modify the payment amount.  The court is the only entity that can change the order to pay supervision fees.

SUMMARY:

The Department of Corrections can exempt or defer offender supervision fees.  Clarification is provided so that offenders serving a period of community supervision, community placement or parole will pay community supervision fees assessments. 

Appropriation:  none

Revenue:  none

Fiscal Note:  available

TESTIMONY FOR:

This measure streamlines the current process required for changing offenders' supervision fees.  With this change the state saves time, paperwork, and resources.

TESTIMONY AGAINST:  None

TESTIFIED:  Representative Jim Hargrove, prime sponsor; Dave Savage, Jack Jones, Department of Corrections