H-0797.1  _______________________________________________

 

                          HOUSE BILL 1211

          _______________________________________________

 

State of Washington      56th Legislature     1999 Regular Session

 

By Representatives Campbell, O'Brien, DeBolt, Sullivan, Koster, Lovick, Conway, Bush, Esser, Carrell and Dunn

 

Read first time 01/19/1999.  Referred to Committee on Criminal Justice & Corrections.

Making public parts of the sex offender register.


    AN ACT Relating to making certain information from the central registry of sex offenders available to the public; and amending RCW 43.43.540 and 10.97.050.

 

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

 

    Sec. 1.  RCW 43.43.540 and 1998 c 220 s 4 are each amended to read as follows:

    (1) The county sheriff shall forward the information, photographs, and fingerprints obtained pursuant to RCW 9A.44.130, including any notice of change of address, to the Washington state patrol within five working days.  The state patrol shall maintain a central registry of sex offenders and kidnapping offenders required to register under RCW 9A.44.130 and shall adopt rules consistent with chapters 10.97, 10.98, and 43.43 RCW as are necessary to carry out the purposes of RCW 9A.44.130, 9A.44.140, 10.01.200, 43.43.540, 46.20.187, 70.48.470, and 72.09.330.

    (2) With regard to sex offenders, the Washington state patrol shall maintain an internet site containing the following information from the central registry:  Name, current address, crime for which convicted, and date and place of conviction.  The state patrol shall make this information available to the public in paper form upon request.

    (3) The Washington state patrol shall reimburse the counties for the costs of processing the offender registration, including taking the fingerprints and the photographs.

 

    Sec. 2.  RCW 10.97.050 and 1990 c 3 s 129 are each amended to read as follows:

    (1) Conviction records may be disseminated without restriction.

    (2) Any criminal history record information which pertains to an incident for which a person is currently being processed by the criminal justice system, including the entire period of correctional supervision extending through final discharge from parole, when applicable, may be disseminated without restriction.

    (3) Criminal history record information which includes nonconviction data may be disseminated by a criminal justice agency to another criminal justice agency for any purpose associated with the administration of criminal justice, or in connection with the employment of the subject of the record by a criminal justice or juvenile justice agency.  A criminal justice agency may respond to any inquiry from another criminal justice agency without any obligation to ascertain the purpose for which the information is to be used by the agency making the inquiry.

    (4) Criminal history record information which includes nonconviction data may be disseminated by a criminal justice agency to implement a statute, ordinance, executive order, or a court rule, decision, or order which expressly refers to records of arrest, charges, or allegations of criminal conduct or other nonconviction data and authorizes or directs that it be available or accessible for a specific purpose.

    (5) Criminal history record information which includes nonconviction data may be disseminated to individuals and agencies pursuant to a contract with a criminal justice agency to provide services related to the administration of criminal justice.  Such contract must specifically authorize access to criminal history record information, but need not specifically state that access to nonconviction data is included.  The agreement must limit the use of the criminal history record information to stated purposes and insure the confidentiality and security of the information consistent with state law and any applicable federal statutes and regulations.

    (6) Criminal history record information which includes nonconviction data may be disseminated to individuals and agencies for the express purpose of research, evaluative, or statistical activities pursuant to an agreement with a criminal justice agency.  Such agreement must authorize the access to nonconviction data, limit the use of that information which identifies specific individuals to research, evaluative, or statistical purposes, and contain provisions giving notice to the person or organization to which the records are disseminated that the use of information obtained therefrom and further dissemination of such information are subject to the provisions of this chapter and applicable federal statutes and regulations, which shall be cited with express reference to the penalties provided for a violation thereof.

    (7) Every criminal justice agency that maintains and disseminates criminal history record information must maintain information pertaining to every dissemination of criminal history record information except a dissemination to the effect that the agency has no record concerning an individual.  Information pertaining to disseminations shall include:

    (a) An indication of to whom (agency or person) criminal history record information was disseminated;

    (b) The date on which the information was disseminated;

    (c) The individual to whom the information relates; and

    (d) A brief description of the information disseminated.

    The information pertaining to dissemination required to be maintained shall be retained for a period of not less than one year.

    (8) In addition to the other provisions in this section allowing dissemination of criminal history record information, RCW 4.24.550 and 43.43.540 govern((s)) dissemination of information concerning offenders who commit sex offenses as defined by RCW 9.94A.030.  Criminal justice agencies, their employees, and officials shall be immune from civil liability for dissemination on criminal history record information concerning sex offenders as provided in RCW 4.24.550 and 43.43.540.

 


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