SENATE BILL REPORT

                   HB 1879

              As Reported By Senate Committee On:

         Human Services & Corrections, March 30, 1995

Title:  An act relating to costs of juvenile offenders.

Brief Description:  Revising provision for costs of support, treatment, and confinement of juvenile offenders.

Sponsors:  Representative Boldt.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  Human Services & Corrections:  3/30/95 [DPA].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES & CORRECTIONS

Majority Report:  Do pass as amended.

  Signed by Senators Hargrove, Chair; Franklin, Vice Chair; Fairley, Kohl, Long, Palmer, Prentice, Schow and Strannigan.

Staff:  Richard Rodger (786-7461)

Background:  When a juvenile is ordered to serve time in a county juvenile detention facility, the court may order the parents or other legally obligated person to pay, in whole or in part, the costs of supporting, treating and confining the juvenile.

When a juvenile is ordered to serve time in a state juvenile facility, the juvenile's parents or other legally obligated person must pay, at least in part, the costs of supporting, treating and confining the juvenile, pursuant to a schedule developed by the Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration.

The juvenile's parents or other legally obligated person can be obligated to pay these costs even when the juvenile's offense was committed against another person in that family.  A concern exists that the juvenile's family should not be required to pay for these costs when the family itself is the victim of the juvenile's offense.

Summary of Amended Bill:  A juvenile's parents, or other legally obligated person, is not required to pay costs of support, treatment, and confinement of the juvenile if the juvenile is being confined for an offense that was committed against a member of the juvenile's family. 

The juvenile's family is defined to include parents and siblings, whether by birth or marriage, and any legal guardians, regardless of residential placement.

An emergency clause is added.

Amended Bill Compared to Original Bill:  There are clarifying amendments made.  An emergency clause is added.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Available.

Effective Date:  The bill contains an emergency clause and takes effect immediately.

Testimony For:  When a juvenile commits an offense against his or her own family, the family suffers an emotional impact.  The emotional impact is felt all over again if the parents have to pay toward the confinement costs of that juvenile.  The family gets victimized twice under the current system.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Representative Marc Boldt, prime sponsor; Toni Martinez (pro), Sid Sidorowicz, Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration (no position on bill).