FINAL BILL REPORT

                                   SSB 5418

                                  C 351 L 91

                              SYNOPSIS AS ENACTED

Brief Description:  Creating an interagency criminal justice work group.

SPONSORS:Senate Committee on Law & Justice (originally sponsored by Senators Thorsness, Rasmussen, Nelson and Talmadge).

SENATE COMMITTEE ON LAW & JUSTICE

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

BACKGROUND:

The interagency criminal justice work group was established by Executive Order 81-15 to provide a central forum for communication between law enforcement entities and to facilitate statewide coordination of criminal justice services.

It is recommended that statutory authority be provided for the continuation of the work group's functions and duties.

SUMMARY:

The Task Force on Sentencing of Adult Criminal Offenders is created.  The task force shall have 14 members.  The Governor shall appoint two members, the Speaker of the House shall appoint six members, and the President of the Senate shall appoint six members.  The members of the task force shall select a chair or co-chairs from among the membership of the task force.  Staff for the task force shall be provided by the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Office of Financial Management.

The objectives of the task force are to:  determine whether the articulated purposes of the Sentencing Reform Act of 1981 remain valid or should be modified; study the incarceration patterns of adult offenders; determine the extent to which existing alternatives to total confinement, including but not limited to intensive rehabilitation camps, are being used and make recommendations to ensure that alternatives to total confinement are being ordered when appropriate; and determine whether expanding sentencing options would achieve the purposes of the Sentencing Reform Act.

The task force is to consult with the Sentencing Guidelines Commission and other interested parties to achieve the objectives of the task force.

The task force shall report to the Legislature and to the Governor not later than December 15, 1992, and will cease to exist on January 1, 1993.

VOTES ON FINAL PASSAGE:

Senate      47    0

House 94    0     (House amended)

Senate                  (Senate refused to concur)

House             (House refused to recede)

Senate                  (Senate refused to concur)

House             (House refused to recede)

Conference Committee

House 98    0

Senate      34  13

EFFECTIVE:  May 21, 1991