SENATE BILL REPORT

                   SB 6195

              As Reported By Senate Committee On:

        Human Services & Corrections, January 27, 1998

Title:  An act relating to technical corrections to statutory references.

Brief Description:  Correcting statutory references.

Sponsors:  Senators Long and Hargrove; by request of Department of Social and Health Services.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  Human Services & Corrections:  1/14/98, 1/27/98 [DPS].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES & CORRECTIONS

Majority Report:  That Substitute Senate Bill No. 6195 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.

  Signed by Senators Long, Chair; Zarelli, Vice Chair; Franklin, Hargrove, Kohl, Schow and Stevens.

Staff:  Joan Mell (786-7447)

Background:  The Department of Social and Health Services requests technical amendments to RCW 13.34.090 (dependency statutes) and RCW 43.43.700 (Washington State Patrol Identification Unit).  The statutes as presently written cross reference the incorrect subsection definitions. 

Summary of Substitute Bill:  RCW 13.34.090(2) is amended to cross reference the dependency definition, from subsection (2) to (4). 

RCW 43.43.700 is amended to cross reference the appropriate dependency subsection, from (2b) to (4b).

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill:  The original bill corrects a cross referenced definition of Adependent child@ by changing the enumeration.  The current statute incorrectly cross references the wrong definition.  The substitute bill changes the cross reference language of the underlying statute.  Rather than stating Aat all stages of a proceeding in which a child is alleged to be dependent pursuant to ....@ the definition of dependent child, the term Apursuant@ to is changed to Aas defined.@  A child is never alleged to be dependent Apursuant to@ a definition, but a child can be alleged to be dependent Aas defined@ in a definition. 

The substitute bill makes a second change.  In the statutory provision regarding fingerprints, the bill corrects an erroneous cross reference to the definition of dependent child.  The bill changes the cross reference from (2b) to (4b).  In the substitute bill rather than simply changing the cross reference enumeration, the paragraph has been rewritten for clarification purposes.  As rewritten, adults who have been found to have physically abused or sexually abused or exploited a child in a dependency proceeding, or have been found to have abused or financially exploited a vulnerable adult in a protection proceeding must be subject to fingerprinting and the other provisions contained within the statutory section. 

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

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

Testimony For:  The erroneous cross reference needs to be corrected.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Jennifer Strus, DSHS (pro).