H-1665.1  _______________________________________________

                          HOUSE BILL 1884

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      54th Legislature     1995 Regular Session

By Representatives Stevens and Thompson

Read first time 02/13/95.  Referred to Committee on Children & Family Services.

Requesting the supreme court to review the rules of evidence regarding suspected child abuse victims.

    AN ACT Relating to child abuse; and creating new sections.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  The legislature has found that the family is the foundation on which our society is built.  RCW 13.34.020 states, "the family unit is a fundamental resource of American life. . .."  The legislature further finds that it is of paramount importance to vigilantly protect the integrity and the structure of families.  Unnecessary and unwarranted intrusion into a family's personal matters can cause irreparable harm.

    The legislature also finds that children are victims of abuse, oftentimes at the hands of family members, and that all reasonable measures must be taken to protect the life and well-being of each child in this state.

    Therefore, the legislature requests that the Washington state supreme court review the existing rules dealing with criminal and civil action involving abuse or neglect to ensure that those rules preserve the fundamental rights of families while protecting children.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  The supreme court is requested to review the rules of evidence to determine whether the existing rules are adequate to deal with criminal and civil actions involving child abuse or neglect.  In particular, the court is requested to consider the extent, if at all, to which the department of social and health services and local law enforcement agencies should be required to videotape their interviews of suspected child abuse or neglect victims.

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