BILL REQ. #:  H-0091.1 

Read first time 01/14/09.   Referred to Committee on Human Services.

     AN ACT Relating to increasing the availability of safe sex offender housing; creating new sections; and providing an expiration date.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature finds that homeless sex offenders present unique risks to law enforcement, corrections personnel, and local communities because the offenders' transience makes them more difficult to track and monitor, makes community notification more difficult, and inhibits the offenders' ability to gain employment and access services. The legislature further finds that locating housing for sex offenders can be highly challenging and that the department of corrections is therefore frequently forced to release offenders as homeless once they have served their maximum terms of confinement. It is therefore the intent of the legislature to improve public safety by requiring the department of corrections to seek out innovative ways in which to increase the availability of safe sex offender housing.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   (1) The department of corrections shall study ways in which to increase the availability of sex offender housing. The study shall identify specific properties and specific types of properties that could be used to house released sex offenders on community custody in a manner that is not detrimental to, or that increases, community safety. When performing the study, the department shall, at a minimum, consider the following:
     (a) The availability of existing department of corrections facilities that could be retasked for sex offender housing in a manner that is not detrimental to community safety;
     (b) The availability of other state property that could be used for sex offender housing in a manner that is not detrimental to community safety;
     (c) The availability of federal, local governmental, or private property that could be purchased or leased for purposes of sex offender housing in a manner that is not detrimental to community safety; and
     (d) Any legal barriers to utilizing, leasing, or acquiring property for purposes of sex offender housing.
     (2) When performing the study, the department shall consult with individuals and organizations that have expertise in sex offender community safety, sex offender housing, and the acquisition and use of state property including, but not limited to, law enforcement, victims' advocacy organizations, local governments, organizations that provide housing to the homeless, community corrections officers, the department of general administration, and the Washington state institute for public policy.
     (3) The department of corrections shall report its findings to the governor and the appropriate committees of the legislature no later than December 1, 2009.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   This act expires January 1, 2010.