FINAL BILL REPORT

                 2SHB 1392

                         C 310 L 97

                     Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description:  Enhancing crime victims' compensation.

Sponsors:  By House Committee on Appropriations (originally sponsored by  Representatives Ballasiotes, Costa, Radcliff, O'Brien, Kessler, Blalock, Cody, Murray, Cole, Morris, Tokuda, Conway, Skinner, Johnson, Linville, Scott, Keiser, Cooper, Gombosky, Ogden and Anderson).

House Committee on Criminal Justice & Corrections

House Committee on Appropriations

Senate Committee on Law & Justice

Senate Committee on Ways & Means

Background:  The Crime Victims Act of 1973 established Washington=s crime victims= compensation program (CVCP) to provide benefits to innocent victims of criminal acts.  The Department of Labor and Industries was assigned authority for administering the program because benefits available to crime victims under this program were originally based on benefits paid to injured workers under the Industrial Insurance Act.

Under the Public Records Act,  numerous records relating to personal privacy or vital governmental interests are sealed from public inspection and copying.  It is unclear, however, whether this provision applies to records relating to appeals of crime victim=s compensation claims.

An authorized representative of a crime victim claimant is permitted access to the claimant=s file.  A claimant, however, is not allowed access to his or her own CVCP file.

Summary:  The Public Records Act is amended to exempt records relating to appeals of crime victims= compensation claims from the public inspection and copying requirements contained in the Public Records Act.

Crime victim claimants are permitted access to the information in their own CVCP files. 

Votes on Final Passage:

House  94 0

Senate 46 0(Senate amended)

House910(House concurred)

Effective:July 27,  1997