S-3836.1                   _______________________________________________

 

                                                     SENATE BILL 6137

                              _______________________________________________

 

State of Washington                              53rd Legislature                             1994 Regular Session

 

By Senators McAuliffe, M. Rasmussen, Sheldon, Loveland and Haugen

 

Read first time 01/13/94.  Referred to Committee on Government Operations.

 

Concerning volunteers to aid at-risk citizens.



          AN ACT Relating to at-risk citizens; and amending RCW 43.150.080.

 

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

 

        Sec. 1.  RCW 43.150.080 and 1993 c 365 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

          A volunteer organization or individual volunteer may assist a public agency, with the agency's approval, in a collaborative program designed to serve the needs of at-risk children or senior citizens.  The center, with the advice and counsel of the attorney general, shall develop guide­lines defining at-risk children and senior citizens and establish reasonable safety standards to protect the safety of program participants and volunteers, including but not limited to background checks as appropriate as provided in RCW 43.43.830 through 43.43.834.  In carrying out the volunteer activity, the individual volunteer or member of the volunteer organization shall not be considered to be an employee or agent of any public agency involved in the collaborative program.  The public agency shall have no liability for any acts of the individual volunteer or volunteer organization.  Prior to participation, a volunteer and the public agency administering the collaborative program shall sign a written master agreement, approved in form by the attorney general, that includes provisions defining the scope of the volunteer activities and waiving any claims against each other.  A volunteer organization or individual volunteer shall not be liable for civil damages resulting from any act or omission arising from volunteer activities which comply with safety standards issued by the center for volunteerism and citizen service, other than acts or omissions constituting gross negligence or willful or wanton misconduct.

 


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