H-1792.5 _______________________________________________
HOUSE BILL 2170
_______________________________________________
State of Washington 52nd Legislature 1991 Regular Session
By Representatives Appelwick, Brough and Betrozoff.
Read first time March 5, 1991. Referred to Committee on Judiciary.
AN ACT Relating to sentencing of offenders; creating a new section; and declaring an emergency.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The task force on sentencing of adult criminal offenders is created.
(1) The task force shall have fourteen members.
(a) The governor shall appoint two members.
(b) The speaker of the house of representatives shall appoint six members, which shall include two members, one from each political party, from each of the following:
(i) The house judiciary committee;
(ii) The house human services committee; and
(iii) Either the house capital facilities and financing committee or the house appropriations committee, or one from each. If one member is appointed from each of the fiscal committees, one appointment must be from the majority party and the other from the minority party.
(c) The president of the senate shall appoint six members, which shall include two members, one from each political party, from each of the following standing committees:
(i) Senate law and justice;
(ii) Senate children and family services; and
(iii) Senate ways and means.
(2) The members of the task force shall select a chair or cochairs from among the membership of the task force.
(3) Staff for the task force shall be provided by the senate, the house of representatives, and the office of financial management.
(4) The objectives of the task force are to:
(a) Determine whether the articulated purposes of the sentencing reform act of 1981 as defined in RCW 9.94A.010, remain valid or should be modified, and if so, what new sentencing purposes are appropriate;
(b) Study the incarceration patterns of adult offenders convicted of violent and nonviolent offenses to determine whether the purposes of the sentencing reform act of 1981 as defined in RCW 9.94A.010 are being achieved;
(c) Determine the extent to which alternatives to total confinement are being used for adult felons and to make recommendations to ensure that those alternatives are ordered when appropriate; and
(d) Determine whether an expansion of the court's sentencing options would help achieve the purposes of the sentencing reform act.
(5) The task force shall consult with the sentencing guidelines commission and other interested parties to achieve the objectives of the task force.
(6) The task force shall report to the appropriate standing committees of the legislature and to the governor not later than December 15, 1992.
(7) The task force shall cease to exist on January 1, 1993.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and shall take effect immediately.