BILL REQ. #:  H-3829.1 

Prefiled 12/28/09. Read first time 01/11/10.   Referred to Committee on Public Safety & Emergency Preparedness.

     AN ACT Relating to victimization of homeless persons; amending RCW 9.94A.533, 9A.36.080, and 36.28A.030; and adding a new section to chapter 9.94A RCW.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   A new section is added to chapter 9.94A RCW to read as follows:
     In a criminal case where:
     (1) The defendant has been convicted of assault in the first or second degree, rape in the first or second degree, rape of a child in the first or second degree, homicide by abuse, murder in the first or second degree, manslaughter in the first or second degree, or vehicular homicide; and
     (2) There has been a special allegation pleaded and proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant intentionally committed one of the offenses listed in subsection (1) of this section because he or she perceived the victim to be homeless, as defined in RCW 9A.36.080(7);
the court shall make a finding of fact of the special allegation, or if a jury trial is had, the jury shall, if it finds the defendant guilty, also find a special verdict as to the special allegation.

Sec. 2   RCW 9.94A.533 and 2009 c 141 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The provisions of this section apply to the standard sentence ranges determined by RCW 9.94A.510 or 9.94A.517.
     (2) For persons convicted of the anticipatory offenses of criminal attempt, solicitation, or conspiracy under chapter 9A.28 RCW, the standard sentence range is determined by locating the sentencing grid sentence range defined by the appropriate offender score and the seriousness level of the completed crime, and multiplying the range by seventy-five percent.
     (3) The following additional times shall be added to the standard sentence range for felony crimes committed after July 23, 1995, if the offender or an accomplice was armed with a firearm as defined in RCW 9.41.010 and the offender is being sentenced for one of the crimes listed in this subsection as eligible for any firearm enhancements based on the classification of the completed felony crime. If the offender is being sentenced for more than one offense, the firearm enhancement or enhancements must be added to the total period of confinement for all offenses, regardless of which underlying offense is subject to a firearm enhancement. If the offender or an accomplice was armed with a firearm as defined in RCW 9.41.010 and the offender is being sentenced for an anticipatory offense under chapter 9A.28 RCW to commit one of the crimes listed in this subsection as eligible for any firearm enhancements, the following additional times shall be added to the standard sentence range determined under subsection (2) of this section based on the felony crime of conviction as classified under RCW 9A.28.020:
     (a) Five years for any felony defined under any law as a class A felony or with a statutory maximum sentence of at least twenty years, or both, and not covered under (f) of this subsection;
     (b) Three years for any felony defined under any law as a class B felony or with a statutory maximum sentence of ten years, or both, and not covered under (f) of this subsection;
     (c) Eighteen months for any felony defined under any law as a class C felony or with a statutory maximum sentence of five years, or both, and not covered under (f) of this subsection;
     (d) If the offender is being sentenced for any firearm enhancements under (a), (b), and/or (c) of this subsection and the offender has previously been sentenced for any deadly weapon enhancements after July 23, 1995, under (a), (b), and/or (c) of this subsection or subsection (4)(a), (b), and/or (c) of this section, or both, all firearm enhancements under this subsection shall be twice the amount of the enhancement listed;
     (e) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, all firearm enhancements under this section are mandatory, shall be served in total confinement, and shall run consecutively to all other sentencing provisions, including other firearm or deadly weapon enhancements, for all offenses sentenced under this chapter. However, whether or not a mandatory minimum term has expired, an offender serving a sentence under this subsection may be granted an extraordinary medical placement when authorized under RCW 9.94A.728(((4))) (3);
     (f) The firearm enhancements in this section shall apply to all felony crimes except the following: Possession of a machine gun, possessing a stolen firearm, drive-by shooting, theft of a firearm, unlawful possession of a firearm in the first and second degree, and use of a machine gun in a felony;
     (g) If the standard sentence range under this section exceeds the statutory maximum sentence for the offense, the statutory maximum sentence shall be the presumptive sentence unless the offender is a persistent offender. If the addition of a firearm enhancement increases the sentence so that it would exceed the statutory maximum for the offense, the portion of the sentence representing the enhancement may not be reduced.
     (4) The following additional times shall be added to the standard sentence range for felony crimes committed after July 23, 1995, if the offender or an accomplice was armed with a deadly weapon other than a firearm as defined in RCW 9.41.010 and the offender is being sentenced for one of the crimes listed in this subsection as eligible for any deadly weapon enhancements based on the classification of the completed felony crime. If the offender is being sentenced for more than one offense, the deadly weapon enhancement or enhancements must be added to the total period of confinement for all offenses, regardless of which underlying offense is subject to a deadly weapon enhancement. If the offender or an accomplice was armed with a deadly weapon other than a firearm as defined in RCW 9.41.010 and the offender is being sentenced for an anticipatory offense under chapter 9A.28 RCW to commit one of the crimes listed in this subsection as eligible for any deadly weapon enhancements, the following additional times shall be added to the standard sentence range determined under subsection (2) of this section based on the felony crime of conviction as classified under RCW 9A.28.020:
     (a) Two years for any felony defined under any law as a class A felony or with a statutory maximum sentence of at least twenty years, or both, and not covered under (f) of this subsection;
     (b) One year for any felony defined under any law as a class B felony or with a statutory maximum sentence of ten years, or both, and not covered under (f) of this subsection;
     (c) Six months for any felony defined under any law as a class C felony or with a statutory maximum sentence of five years, or both, and not covered under (f) of this subsection;
     (d) If the offender is being sentenced under (a), (b), and/or (c) of this subsection for any deadly weapon enhancements and the offender has previously been sentenced for any deadly weapon enhancements after July 23, 1995, under (a), (b), and/or (c) of this subsection or subsection (3)(a), (b), and/or (c) of this section, or both, all deadly weapon enhancements under this subsection shall be twice the amount of the enhancement listed;
     (e) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, all deadly weapon enhancements under this section are mandatory, shall be served in total confinement, and shall run consecutively to all other sentencing provisions, including other firearm or deadly weapon enhancements, for all offenses sentenced under this chapter. However, whether or not a mandatory minimum term has expired, an offender serving a sentence under this subsection may be granted an extraordinary medical placement when authorized under RCW 9.94A.728(((4))) (3);
     (f) The deadly weapon enhancements in this section shall apply to all felony crimes except the following: Possession of a machine gun, possessing a stolen firearm, drive-by shooting, theft of a firearm, unlawful possession of a firearm in the first and second degree, and use of a machine gun in a felony;
     (g) If the standard sentence range under this section exceeds the statutory maximum sentence for the offense, the statutory maximum sentence shall be the presumptive sentence unless the offender is a persistent offender. If the addition of a deadly weapon enhancement increases the sentence so that it would exceed the statutory maximum for the offense, the portion of the sentence representing the enhancement may not be reduced.
     (5) The following additional times shall be added to the standard sentence range if the offender or an accomplice committed the offense while in a county jail or state correctional facility and the offender is being sentenced for one of the crimes listed in this subsection. If the offender or an accomplice committed one of the crimes listed in this subsection while in a county jail or state correctional facility, and the offender is being sentenced for an anticipatory offense under chapter 9A.28 RCW to commit one of the crimes listed in this subsection, the following additional times shall be added to the standard sentence range determined under subsection (2) of this section:
     (a) Eighteen months for offenses committed under RCW 69.50.401(2) (a) or (b) or 69.50.410;
     (b) Fifteen months for offenses committed under RCW 69.50.401(2) (c), (d), or (e);
     (c) Twelve months for offenses committed under RCW 69.50.4013.
     For the purposes of this subsection, all of the real property of a state correctional facility or county jail shall be deemed to be part of that facility or county jail.
     (6) An additional twenty-four months shall be added to the standard sentence range for any ranked offense involving a violation of chapter 69.50 RCW if the offense was also a violation of RCW 69.50.435 or ((9.94A.605)) 9.94A.827. All enhancements under this subsection shall run consecutively to all other sentencing provisions, for all offenses sentenced under this chapter.
     (7) An additional two years shall be added to the standard sentence range for vehicular homicide committed while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or any drug as defined by RCW 46.61.502 for each prior offense as defined in RCW 46.61.5055.
     (8)(a) The following additional times shall be added to the standard sentence range for felony crimes committed on or after July 1, 2006, if the offense was committed with sexual motivation, as that term is defined in RCW 9.94A.030. If the offender is being sentenced for more than one offense, the sexual motivation enhancement must be added to the total period of total confinement for all offenses, regardless of which underlying offense is subject to a sexual motivation enhancement. If the offender committed the offense with sexual motivation and the offender is being sentenced for an anticipatory offense under chapter 9A.28 RCW, the following additional times shall be added to the standard sentence range determined under subsection (2) of this section based on the felony crime of conviction as classified under RCW 9A.28.020:
     (i) Two years for any felony defined under the law as a class A felony or with a statutory maximum sentence of at least twenty years, or both;
     (ii) Eighteen months for any felony defined under any law as a class B felony or with a statutory maximum sentence of ten years, or both;
     (iii) One year for any felony defined under any law as a class C felony or with a statutory maximum sentence of five years, or both;
     (iv) If the offender is being sentenced for any sexual motivation enhancements under (i), (ii), and/or (iii) of this subsection and the offender has previously been sentenced for any sexual motivation enhancements on or after July 1, 2006, under (i), (ii), and/or (iii) of this subsection, all sexual motivation enhancements under this subsection shall be twice the amount of the enhancement listed;
     (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, all sexual motivation enhancements under this subsection are mandatory, shall be served in total confinement, and shall run consecutively to all other sentencing provisions, including other sexual motivation enhancements, for all offenses sentenced under this chapter. However, whether or not a mandatory minimum term has expired, an offender serving a sentence under this subsection may be granted an extraordinary medical placement when authorized under RCW 9.94A.728(((4))) (3);
     (c) The sexual motivation enhancements in this subsection apply to all felony crimes;
     (d) If the standard sentence range under this subsection exceeds the statutory maximum sentence for the offense, the statutory maximum sentence shall be the presumptive sentence unless the offender is a persistent offender. If the addition of a sexual motivation enhancement increases the sentence so that it would exceed the statutory maximum for the offense, the portion of the sentence representing the enhancement may not be reduced;
     (e) The portion of the total confinement sentence which the offender must serve under this subsection shall be calculated before any earned early release time is credited to the offender;
     (f) Nothing in this subsection prevents a sentencing court from imposing a sentence outside the standard sentence range pursuant to RCW 9.94A.535.
     (9) An additional one-year enhancement shall be added to the standard sentence range for the felony crimes of RCW 9A.44.073, 9A.44.076, 9A.44.079, 9A.44.083, 9A.44.086, or 9A.44.089 committed on or after July 22, 2007, if the offender engaged, agreed, or offered to engage the victim in the sexual conduct in return for a fee. If the offender is being sentenced for more than one offense, the one-year enhancement must be added to the total period of total confinement for all offenses, regardless of which underlying offense is subject to the enhancement. If the offender is being sentenced for an anticipatory offense for the felony crimes of RCW 9A.44.073, 9A.44.076, 9A.44.079, 9A.44.083, 9A.44.086, or 9A.44.089, and the offender attempted, solicited another, or conspired to engage, agree, or offer to engage the victim in the sexual conduct in return for a fee, an additional one-year enhancement shall be added to the standard sentence range determined under subsection (2) of this section. For purposes of this subsection, "sexual conduct" means sexual intercourse or sexual contact, both as defined in chapter 9A.44 RCW.
     (10)(a) For a person age eighteen or older convicted of any criminal street gang-related felony offense for which the person compensated, threatened, or solicited a minor in order to involve the minor in the commission of the felony offense, the standard sentence range is determined by locating the sentencing grid sentence range defined by the appropriate offender score and the seriousness level of the completed crime, and multiplying the range by one hundred twenty-five percent. If the standard sentence range under this subsection exceeds the statutory maximum sentence for the offense, the statutory maximum sentence is the presumptive sentence unless the offender is a persistent offender.
     (b) This subsection does not apply to any criminal street gang-related felony offense for which involving a minor in the commission of the felony offense is an element of the offense.
     (c) The increased penalty specified in (a) of this subsection is unavailable in the event that the prosecution gives notice that it will seek an exceptional sentence based on an aggravating factor under RCW 9.94A.535.
     (11) An additional twelve months and one day shall be added to the standard sentence range for a conviction of attempting to elude a police vehicle as defined by RCW 46.61.024, if the conviction included a finding by special allegation of endangering one or more persons under RCW 9.94A.834.
     (12) An additional twelve months shall be added to the standard sentence range for an offense that is also a violation of RCW 9.94A.831.
     (13) An additional twenty-four months shall be added to the standard sentence range for an offense that is also a violation of section 1 of this act.

Sec. 3   RCW 9A.36.080 and 2009 c 180 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) A person is guilty of malicious harassment if he or she maliciously and intentionally commits one of the following acts because of his or her perception of the victim's race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, homelessness, or mental, physical, or sensory handicap:
     (a) Causes physical injury to the victim or another person;
     (b) Causes physical damage to or destruction of the property of the victim or another person; or
     (c) Threatens a specific person or group of persons and places that person, or members of the specific group of persons, in reasonable fear of harm to person or property. The fear must be a fear that a reasonable person would have under all the circumstances. For purposes of this section, a "reasonable person" is a reasonable person who is a member of the victim's race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, or sexual orientation, or who is homeless when the victim is homeless, or who has the same mental, physical, or sensory handicap as the victim. Words alone do not constitute malicious harassment unless the context or circumstances surrounding the words indicate the words are a threat. Threatening words do not constitute malicious harassment if it is apparent to the victim that the person does not have the ability to carry out the threat.
     (2) In any prosecution for malicious harassment, unless evidence exists which explains to the trier of fact's satisfaction that the person did not intend to threaten the victim or victims, the trier of fact may infer that the person intended to threaten a specific victim or group of victims because of the person's perception of the victim's or victims' race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, homelessness, or mental, physical, or sensory handicap if the person commits one of the following acts:
     (a) Burns a cross on property of a victim who is or whom the actor perceives to be of African American heritage; or
     (b) Defaces property of a victim who is or whom the actor perceives to be of Jewish heritage by defacing the property with a swastika.
     This subsection only applies to the creation of a reasonable inference for evidentiary purposes. This subsection does not restrict the state's ability to prosecute a person under subsection (1) of this section when the facts of a particular case do not fall within (a) or (b) of this subsection.
     (3) It is not a defense that the accused was mistaken that the victim was a member of a certain race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, or sexual orientation, was homeless, or had a mental, physical, or sensory handicap.
     (4) Evidence of expressions or associations of the accused may not be introduced as substantive evidence at trial unless the evidence specifically relates to the crime charged. Nothing in this chapter shall affect the rules of evidence governing impeachment of a witness.
     (5) Every person who commits another crime during the commission of a crime under this section may be punished and prosecuted for the other crime separately.
     (6) "Sexual orientation" for the purposes of this section has the same meaning as in RCW 49.60.040.
     (7) "Homelessness" or "homeless" for the purposes of this section means a condition where an individual lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence and who has a primary nighttime residence that is:
     (a) A supervised, publicly or privately operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations;
     (b) A public or private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings; or
     (c) A private residence where the individual stays as a transient invitee.
     (8) Malicious harassment is a class C felony.
     (((8))) (9) The penalties provided in this section for malicious harassment do not preclude the victims from seeking any other remedies otherwise available under law.
     (((9))) (10) Nothing in this section confers or expands any civil rights or protections to any group or class identified under this section, beyond those rights or protections that exist under the federal or state Constitution or the civil laws of the state of Washington.

Sec. 4   RCW 36.28A.030 and 1993 c 127 s 4 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The Washington association of sheriffs and police chiefs shall establish and maintain a central repository for the collection and classification of information regarding violations of RCW 9A.36.080. Upon establishing such a repository, the association shall develop a procedure to monitor, record, and classify information relating to violations of RCW 9A.36.080 and any other crimes of bigotry or bias apparently directed against other persons because the people committing the crimes perceived that their victims were of a particular race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, were homeless, or had a mental, physical, or sensory handicap.
     (2) All local law enforcement agencies shall report monthly to the association concerning all violations of RCW 9A.36.080 and any other crimes of bigotry or bias in such form and in such manner as prescribed by rules adopted by the association. Agency participation in the association's reporting programs, with regard to the specific data requirements associated with violations of RCW 9A.36.080 and any other crimes of bigotry or bias, shall be deemed to meet agency reporting requirements. The association must summarize the information received and file an annual report with the governor and the senate law and justice committee and the house of representatives judiciary committee.
     (3) The association shall disseminate the information according to the provisions of chapters 10.97 and 10.98 RCW, and all other confidentiality requirements imposed by federal or Washington law.