FINAL BILL REPORT

                  SSB 5140

                           C 14 L 96

                      Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description:  Authorizing municipalities to declare certain public places drug‑free zones.

Sponsors:  Senate Committee on Law & Justice (originally sponsored by Senators Kohl, Smith, Winsley, Pelz, Roach, Prentice, Schow, Heavey, McAuliffe, C. Anderson, Fairley, Sheldon, Prince, West, Haugen, Bauer, Oke and Palmer).

Senate Committee on Law & Justice

House Committee on Law & Justice

Background:  Current law declares a number of locations to be drug-free zones.  In these zones the penalties for drug-related crimes are doubled.  The locations covered by this law are schools, school bus stops, public parks, and public transit vehicles and shelters.

A number of publicly-owned and publicly-operated places are used primarily for recreational, educational or cultural purposes.  However, some of these facilities are neither schools nor public parks.  As a result, they are not eligible for designation as drug-free zones.

Summary:  Publicly-owned and publicly-operated civic centers designated by a local governing authority as drug-free zones are added as a new category to the current list of places where the penalties for drug-related crimes are doubled.  Local governing authorities may also designate a 1,000 foot perimeter around such facilities as drug-free zones. 

Civic centers are defined for this act as publicly-owned or publicly-operated places and facilities used for recreational, educational or cultural purposes.

Votes on Final Passage:

Senate    47 0

House     98 0

Effective:  June 6, 1996