FINAL BILL REPORT
SHB 1426
C 403 L 05
Synopsis as Enacted
Brief Description: Establishing an interagency plan for children of incarcerated parents.
Sponsors: By House Committee on Children & Family Services (originally sponsored by Representatives Roberts, McDonald, Kagi, Nixon, Pettigrew, Dickerson, Darneille, Tom, Rodne, Hasegawa, O'Brien, Lovick, Ormsby, Morrell, Chase and Santos).
House Committee on Children & Family Services
Senate Committee on Human Services & Corrections
Background:
According to the federal Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics, an estimated 2
percent of the nation's 72 million children under 18 years of age had an imprisoned parent in
1999. During that same year, an estimated 721,500 federal and state prisoners had minor
children. Almost 1.5 million minor children had a parent in prison, which constitutes an
increase of more than 500,000 children since 1991. Of those children with imprisoned
parents, 58 percent were under 10 years of age, with the average being 8 years of age.
Nationwide, 40 percent of the imprisoned fathers and 60 percent of the imprisoned mothers
reported weekly contact with their children by phone, mail, or visit. However, a majority of
both fathers (57 percent) and mothers (54 percent) reported never having had a personal visit
with their children since their admission to state prison. More than 60 percent of the parents
in state prisons reported being held more than 100 miles from their last place of residence.
Summary:
The Department of Corrections (DOC), in partnership with the Department of Social and
Health Services (DSHS), is required to establish an oversight committee to develop a
comprehensive interagency plan to provide the necessary services and supports for the
children of this state whose parents are incarcerated in jail or prison.
The interagency plan must include the following:
The oversight committee must include the following:
In developing the interagency plan, the oversight committee must seek input from children
whose parents are or have been incarcerated and from parents who have been incarcerated.
The oversight committee is required to develop the interagency plan by June 30, 2006, with
an interim report due to the appropriate committees of the Legislature by January 1, 2006.
Votes on Final Passage:
House 89 0
Senate 48 0 (Senate amended)
House 95 0 (House concurred)
Effective: July 24, 2005