SENATE BILL REPORT

HB 1497

As Reported By Senate Committee On:

Judiciary, March 26, 2003

Title: An act relating to technical reorganization of criminal statutes to simplify citation to offenses.

Brief Description: Reorganizing criminal statutes within the RCW.

Sponsors: Representatives O'Brien, Delvin, Mielke, Ruderman, Haigh, Ahern, Anderson, Lovick, Kagi and Kenney.

Brief History:

Committee Activity: Judiciary: 3/26/03 [DP].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY

Majority Report: Do pass.

      Signed by Senators McCaslin, Chair; Esser, Vice Chair; Brandland, Hargrove, Haugen, Johnson, Kline, Roach and Thibaudeau.

Staff: Aldo Melchiori (786-7439)

Background: The criminal justice system relies on the accuracy and integrity of criminal history records. The information is shared by law enforcement, prosecuting attorneys, courts, the Department of Corrections, the Sentencing Guidelines Commission, the Caseload Forecast Council, and many other state and local entities. The state's Judicial Information Network is in the process of automating systems that allow for the electronic transfer of this information. To allow for the unambiguous identification and citation of offenses, some statutes need to be reorganized and restructured.

Summary of Bill: The purely technical changes do two things: (1) clearly identify each offense as a misdemeanor, gross misdemeanor, or class A, B, or C, felony, and (2) provide that each criminal penalty provision is in a separate subsection that can be uniquely cited.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Not requested.

Effective Date: The bill takes effect on July 1, 2004.

Testimony For: This is a housekeeping change that will ease the transfer of criminal history information between agencies. It will allow the automation of processes that are currently backlogged.

Testimony Against: None.

Testified: Representative O'Brien, prime sponsor (pro); Paul Beckley, WSP (pro); Stuart McKee, Director, Department of Information Services (pro).