H-4334.2          _______________________________________________

                                  HOUSE BILL 2889

                  _______________________________________________

State of Washington              54th Legislature             1996 Regular Session

By Representatives McMahan, Benton, Ballasiotes, Costa, Sheahan, Talcott, D. Sommers, McMorris, Thompson, Lambert, Mastin, Carrell, Boldt, Hargrove, Mulliken, Johnson, Pelesky, Basich, B. Thomas, Sterk, Fuhrman, Koster, Chappell, Silver, Dyer, Stevens, Blanton, Huff, Campbell and Sheldon

Read first time 01/24/96.  Referred to Committee on Corrections.

Forbidding the department of corrections from providing extraordinary, life-saving medical procedures.

     AN ACT Relating to medical services for inmates sentenced to death; and adding a new section to chapter 72.10 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 72.10 RCW to read as follows:

     (1) For an inmate who is under a sentence of death or whose death sentence is under appellate review, the department may provide basic medical services, including administration of medications necessary for pain relief, but shall not use public funds to provide extraordinary, life-saving medical procedures.

     (2) For purposes of this section, the term "extraordinary, life-saving medical procedure" means a medical or surgical intervention to sustain, restore, or replace a vital function of the body, where failure to perform the intervention would naturally and proximately result in the person's death.  This term includes such measures as open-heart surgery, organ transplants, and dialysis.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected.

                                    --- END ---