S-1496

AN ACT Relating to criminal justice; adding new sections to chapter 10.98 RCW; creating a new section; and making an appropriation.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature, in pursuit of the goal of public safety, recognizes the importance of communication between law enforcement entities and the state-wide coordination of criminal justice services. In recognition of the importance of public safety, the legislature hereby creates a work group to be modeled and named after the interagency criminal justice work group, established by Executive Order 81-15.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 10.98 RCW to read as follows:

(1) The interagency criminal justice work group is established. Its duties include the following:

(a) Identify and make recommendations on issues which are problems for state and local law enforcement;

(b) Provide a coordinated interagency system for prison population forecasting and projection, with staff provided by the office of financial management;

(d) Meet at least on a quarterly basis;

(e) Develop immediate and long-range plans for alleviating prison and jail overcrowding; and

(f) By December 1 of each year, provide to the law and justice committee of the senate, the judiciary committee of the house of representatives, and the governor an annual report regarding the issues identified and policy recommendations.

(2) The interagency criminal justice work group consists of the following individuals:

(a) The administrator for the courts or his or her designee;

(b) The director of the office of financial management or his or her designee;

(d) The secretary of the department of corrections or his or her designee;

(e) The director of the sentencing guidelines commission or his or her designee;

(f) The director of the division of juvenile rehabilitation of the department of social and health services or his or her designee;

(g) The chairperson of the indeterminate sentence review board or his or her designee;

(h) A representative from the superior court judges association;

(i) A representative from the Washington association of prosecuting attorneys;

(j) A representative from the Washington association of sheriffs and police chiefs;

(k) A representative from the Washington association of criminal defense lawyers; and

(l) A representative from the Washington state association of county clerks.

(3) The work group shall elect a chairperson and vice-chairperson to serve annual terms. Subcommittees may be formed as needed. The work group shall provide minutes of their meetings to the office of the governor, to the law and justice committee of the senate, and to the judiciary committee of the house of representatives. The work group is authorized to enter executive session for discussion of policy recommendations when, by recorded vote of the majority of the work group present, public discussion of facts and opinions would inhibit the candor of the group. No documents presented during executive session are exempt from public disclosure laws.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. The sum of thirty thousand dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the general fund for the biennium ending June 30, 1993, to the interagency criminal justice work group to carry out the purposes of this act. If needed, the work group may hire a staff person into an exempt position.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. A new section is added to chapter 10.98 RCW to read as follows:

The interagency criminal justice work group shall cease to exist July 1, 1996.