Brief Description: Establishing residence restrictions for sex offenders.

Sponsors: Senate Committee on Human Services & Corrections (originally sponsored by Senators Regala, Kline, Fairley, Stevens, Rasmussen and McAuliffe).

Senate Committee on Human Services & Corrections
House Committee on Criminal Justice & Corrections

Background: Legislation passed in 2005 prohibits an offender sentenced to a "two-strikes" offense against a minor victim from living within an area of 880 feet (two blocks) of a public or private school. The residential restriction set out in the 2005 law was to be effective for the duration of the offender's term of community custody.

The 2005 legislation, including the residential restriction, terminates on July 1, 2006.

Summary: The sunset clause on SHB 1147, which established residential restrictions for certain convicted sex offenders, is repealed. The state's preemption of local governments' laws restricting where sex offenders can live applies to laws restricting the residency of persons convicted of any sex offense at any time, except that the preemption does not apply to any local laws adopted before March 1, 2006. The Association of Washington Cities (AWC) must develop statewide consensus standards that local governments use when determining whether to impose local residency restrictions on sex offenders within cities and towns. If the AWC presents these standards to the Legislature and the Governor by December 31, 2007, the preemption provisions expire on July 1, 2008, and may only be revived by an affirmative act of the Legislature through duly enacted legislation. If the AWC does not present its standards to the Legislature and the Governor by that date, the preemption provisions stay in place.

Votes on Final Passage:

Senate      46   2
House      97   1   (House amended)
Senate            (Senate refused to concur)
House      98   0   (House amended)
Senate      45   0   (Senate concurred)

Effective: June 7, 2006