CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT

 

               SECOND SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5108

 

 

                   Chapter 168, Laws of 1999

 

 

                        56th Legislature

                      1999 Regular Session

 

 

MISSING AND EXPLOITED CHILDREN--TASK FORCE

 

 

 

                    EFFECTIVE DATE:  7/25/99

Passed by the Senate April 20, 1999

  YEAS 44   NAYS 0

 

 

               BRAD OWEN

President of the Senate

 

Passed by the House April 15, 1999

  YEAS 97   NAYS 0

             CERTIFICATE

 

I, Tony M. Cook, Secretary of the Senate of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is  SECOND SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5108 as passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives on the dates hereon set forth.

 

 

             CLYDE BALLARD

Speaker of the

      House of Representatives

            TONY M. COOK

                            Secretary

 

 

 

              FRANK CHOPP

Speaker of the

      House of Representatives

 

 

Approved May 5, 1999 Place Style On Codes above, and Style Off Codes below.   

                                FILED          

 

 

              May 5, 1999 - 3:46 p.m.

 

 

 

              GARY LOCKE

Governor of the State of Washington

                 Secretary of State

                 State of Washington


          _______________________________________________

 

                SECOND SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5108

          _______________________________________________

 

                      AS AMENDED BY THE HOUSE

 

             Passed Legislature - 1999 Regular Session

 

State of Washington      56th Legislature     1999 Regular Session

 

By Senate Committee on Ways & Means (originally sponsored by Senators Patterson, Johnson, Eide, Rossi, Prentice, T. Sheldon, Winsley, McAuliffe, Oke, Kohl‑Welles and Costa; by request of Lieutenant Governor)

 

Read first time 03/08/99.

Creating a task force on missing and exploited children.   


    AN ACT Relating to missing and exploited children; adding new sections to chapter 13.60 RCW; and creating new sections.

 

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

 

    NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1.  The legislature finds a compelling need to address the problem of missing children, whether those children have been abducted by a stranger, are missing due to custodial interference, or are classified as runaways.  Washington state ranks twelfth in the nation for active cases of missing juveniles and, at any given time, more than one thousand eight hundred Washington children are reported as missing.  The potential for physical and psychological trauma to these children is extreme.  Therefore, the legislature finds that it is paramount for the safety of these children that there be a concerted effort to resolve cases of missing and exploited children.

    Due to the complexity of many child abduction cases, most law enforcement personnel are unprepared and lack adequate resources to successfully and efficiently investigate these crimes.  Therefore, it is the intent of the legislature that a multiagency task force be established within the Washington state patrol, to be available to assist local jurisdictions in missing child cases through referrals, on-site assistance, case management, and training.  The legislature intends that the task force will increase the effectiveness of a specific case investigation by drawing from the combined resources, knowledge, and technical expertise of the members of the task force.

 

    NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2.  (1) A task force on missing and exploited children is established in the Washington state patrol.  The task force shall be under the direction of the chief of the state patrol.

    (2) The task force is authorized to assist law enforcement agencies, upon request, in cases involving missing or exploited children by:

    (a) Direct assistance and case management;

    (b) Technical assistance;

    (c) Personnel training;

    (d) Referral for assistance from local, state, national, and international agencies; and

    (e) Coordination and information sharing among local, state, interstate, and federal law enforcement and social service agencies.

    (3) To maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of state resources and to improve interagency cooperation, the task force shall, where feasible, use existing facilities, systems, and staff made available by the state patrol and other local, state, interstate, and federal law enforcement and social service agencies.  The chief of the state patrol may employ such additional personnel as are necessary for the work of the task force and may share personnel costs with other agencies.

    (4) The chief of the state patrol shall seek public and private grants and gifts to support the work of the task force.

    (5) By December 1, 2001, and annually thereafter, the chief of the state patrol shall submit a report to the appropriate committees of the legislature.  The report shall establish performance measurements and objectives for the task force and assess the accomplishments of the task force.

    (6) For the purposes of sections 1 through 3 of this act, "exploited children" means children under the age of eighteen who are employed, used, persuaded, induced, enticed, or coerced to engage in, or assist another person to engage in, sexually explicit conduct.  "Exploited children" also means the rape, molestation, or use for prostitution of children under the age of eighteen.

 

    NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3.  The advisory board on missing and exploited children is established to advise the chief of the Washington state patrol on the objectives, conduct, management, and coordination of the various activities of the task force on missing and exploited children.

    (1) The chief of the state patrol shall appoint five members to the advisory board:  (a) One member shall be a county prosecuting attorney or a representative and shall be appointed in consultation with the elected county prosecutors; (b) two members shall be a municipal police chief and a county sheriff, or their representatives, and shall be appointed in consultation with the association of sheriffs and police chiefs under RCW 36.28A.010; (c) one member shall be a representative of the state patrol; and (d) one member shall be a representative of parents of missing or exploited children.

    (2) A sixth member of the board shall represent and be appointed by the attorney general.

    (3) To improve interagency communication and coordination, the chief of the state patrol shall invite representatives of federal law enforcement agencies and state social service agencies to participate in the advisory board.

    (4) The members of the board shall be qualified on the basis of knowledge and experience as may contribute to the effective performance of the board's duties.  The board shall elect its own chair from among its members.  Meetings of the board may be convened at the call of the chair or by a majority of the members.

    (5) The term of each member of the board shall be two years and shall be conditioned upon the member retaining the official position from which the member was appointed.

 

    NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4.  This act may be known and cited as the Teekah Lewis act.

 

    NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1.  If specific funding for the purposes of this act, referencing this act by bill or chapter number, is not provided by June 30, 1999, in the omnibus appropriations act, this act is null and void.

 

    NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2.  Sections 1 through 3 of this act are each added to chapter 13.60 RCW.


    Passed the Senate April 20, 1999.

    Passed the House April 15, 1999.

Approved by the Governor May 5, 1999.

    Filed in Office of Secretary of State May 5, 1999.