HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  HB 1559

             As Reported By House Committee On:

                        Law & Justice

Title:  An act relating to making technical changes by deleting references to the former judicial council.

Brief Description:  Deleting references to the former judicial council.

Sponsors:  Representative McMorris.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:

Law & Justice:  3/4/97 [DP].

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON LAW & JUSTICE

Majority Report:  Do pass.  Signed by 13 members:  Representatives Sheahan, Chairman; McDonald, Vice Chairman; Sterk, Vice Chairman; Costa, Ranking Minority Member; Constantine, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Carrell; Cody; Kenney; Lambert; Lantz; Radcliff; Sherstad and Skinner.

Staff:  Trudes Hutcheson (786-7384).

Background:  Periodically, the Legislature terminates various boards and commissions.  In 1995, the Legislature abolished the Judicial Council.

The Office of the Administrator for the Courts (OAC) is required, by statute, to do a variety of things, including (a) report to the chief justice the activities of the administrator=s office; (b) prepare an annual report on crime victims compensation assessments; and (c) coordinate and administrate local citizens review boards that provide periodic case review for children in substitute care.  Dispute resolution centers established under RCW 7.75 must provide information regarding their operation to the OAC.

Last year, the Legislature established the Office of Public Defense to administer criminal appellate indigent defense services.

Summary of Bill:  References to the Judicial Council in various statutes are deleted.  The OAC must include in its report to the chief justice activities regarding courthouse security.  The requirement that dispute resolution centers report their operations to the OAC is deleted.  The Office of Public Defense, as opposed to the OAC, will prescribe the forms required for use in determining indigency.  The sections requiring the OAC to report crime victims compensation assessments and coordinate local citizens review boards are repealed.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  This is a cleanup bill and doesn't change existing law.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Chuck Foster, Office of the Administrator for the Courts and Washington State Supreme Court (pro).