SENATE BILL REPORT
SSB 6488
As Passed Senate, February 15, 2002
Title: An act relating to a statewide registered sex offender web site.
Brief Description: Creating a statewide registered sex offender web site.
Sponsors: Senate Committee on Human Services & Corrections (originally sponsored by Senators Costa, Long, T. Sheldon, Eide, Winsley, Hale, Spanel, Jacobsen, Rasmussen, Gardner and Oke).
Brief History:
Committee Activity: Human Services & Corrections: 1/23/02, 2/7/02 [DPS].
Passed Senate: 2/15/02, 48-0.
SENATE COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES & CORRECTIONS
Majority Report: That Substitute Senate Bill No. 6488 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.
Signed by Senators Hargrove, Chair; Costa, Vice Chair; Carlson, Franklin, Hewitt, Kastama, Long and Stevens.
Staff: Tony Rugel (786‑7754)
Background: Community notification of level II and level III sex offenders can be provided through newspaper notices, flyers, and information kept at a sheriff's department or police department. A public website can be used in addition to current community notification procedures to provide citizens with relevant and necessary information for protection and to counteract danger created by a particular sex offender.
Summary of Bill: The Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs must create and maintain a website with links to county websites containing sex offender information.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Requested on January 21, 2002.
Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.
Testimony For: There is wide support for the bill with the desire for some clarification in the following areas: how much information can be given regarding addresses; whether the local web sites will continue; and how much cost is involved.
Testimony Against: None.
Testified: Cheryl Stephani, DSHS/JRA (pro w/concerns); Suzanne Brown, Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs (pro); Joseph Beard, Snohomish County Sheriff's Office (pro w/concerns); Sherry Appleton, Wash. Defenders Assoc./Wash. Assoc. of Criminal Def. Lawyers (pro w/concerns); Tim Schellberg, Wash. Assoc. of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (pro).
House Amendment(s): The Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs is required to create a website with links to county websites containing sex offender registration information. Upon receiving funding, from a source other than the state, WASPC will create and maintain its own website with sex offender registration information.