READ FIRST TIME 02/05/10.   

     AN ACT Relating to allocating responsibility for court-related costs of involuntary commitment proceedings; creating a new section; and providing an expiration date.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   (1)(a) A legislature shall convene a work group on the subject of costs related to court hearings under the involuntary treatment act, with members as provided in this subsection.
     (i) Members shall be invited to participate who represent the diversity of opinions and practices around the state. Invited members must include, but need not be limited to, members representing a regional support network east of the Cascade mountains, a regional support network west of the Cascade mountains, a predominantly urban county, a predominantly rural county, a court administrator, a prosecutor or representative of a prosecutor's association, a defense attorney or representative of a defense association, and a consumer or family representative.
     (ii) The department of social and health services shall cooperate with the work group and maintain a liaison representative, who shall be a nonvoting member.
     (b) The work group shall choose its chair from among its membership. The legislature shall convene the initial meeting of the work group.
     (2) The work group shall review the following issues:
     (a) Appropriate allocation of responsibility for court-related costs and fees associated with involuntary commitment hearings; and
     (b) Appropriate allocation of responsibility for court-related costs and fees associated with involuntary commitment hearings when the commitment hearing takes place in a different locality than the locality in which the respondent was originally detained.
     (3) Staff support for the work group must be provided by the senate committee services and the house of representatives office of program research.
     (4) The expenses of the work group must be paid jointly by the senate and house of representatives. Work group expenditures are subject to approval by the senate facilities and operations committee and the house of representatives executive rules committee, or their successor committees.
     (5) The work group shall report its findings and recommendations to the governor and the appropriate committees of the legislature by December 1, 2010.
     (6) This section expires June 1, 2011.