H-0173.1  _______________________________________________

                          HOUSE BILL 1744

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      55th Legislature     1997 Regular Session

By Representatives Dickerson, Conway, Costa, Dunshee, Cody, Blalock, Cooper, Murray, Keiser and Gombosky

Read first time 02/06/97.  Referred to Committee on Law & Justice.

Making it a crime for a director of a corporation to approve an act that endangers public health or safety.

    AN ACT Relating to corporate endangerment; adding a new section to chapter 9A.36 RCW; and prescribing penalties.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 9A.36 RCW to read as follows:

    (1) A person is guilty of the crime of corporate endangerment if, while acting as a high managerial agent, he or she recklessly approves an action of the corporation that endangers public health or safety by creating a substantial risk of death or substantial bodily harm to a person, and substantial bodily harm or death results from the corporation's action.

    (2) The crime of corporate endangerment is a class C felony.

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