FINAL BILL REPORT

                           ESSB 5186

                          C 509 L 93

                      SYNOPSIS AS ENACTED

Brief Description:  Prohibiting the luring of minors or incompetent persons into vehicles or structures.

SPONSORS: Senate Committee on Law & Justice (originally sponsored by Senators von Reichbauer, A. Smith, McCaslin, Prentice, Gaspard, Hargrove, Quigley, Winsley and Erwin)

SENATE COMMITTEE ON LAW & JUSTICE

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY

BACKGROUND:

Sexual offenses are set forth in the Washington Criminal Code and include rape of a child, child molestation, communicating with a minor for immoral purposes, and assault of a child, as well as other offenses.

Police receive numerous reports that strangers have attempted to order or entice children into cars.  This occurs outside of schools, on public streets, etc.

SUMMARY:

The crime of luring is created.  A person is guilty of luring when he or she, without consent from a guardian or parent, requests or persuades a child or developmentally disabled person to 1) enter an area that is obscured from or inaccessible to the public, and 2) he or she is unknown to the child or developmentally disabled person.

Luring is a crime of strict liability and the defendant bears the burden of proving that his or her actions were reasonable and there was no intent to harm the child or developmentally disabled person.

Luring is a class C felony.

VOTES ON FINAL PASSAGE:

Senate    44   0

House     96   2    (House amended)

Senate    44   0    (Senate concurred)

EFFECTIVE:July 25, 1993