BILL REQ. #:  S-4709.1 

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 legislative task force is established on the costs related to court hearings under the involuntary treatment act, with members as provided in this subsection.
     (i) The president of the senate shall appoint one member from each of the two largest caucuses of the senate.
     (ii) The speaker of the house of representatives shall appoint one member from each of the two largest caucuses in the house of representatives.
     (iii) The president of the senate and the speaker of the house of representatives jointly shall appoint seven members representing a regional support network east of the Cascade mountains, a regional support network west of the Cascade mountains, an urban county, a rural county, a prosecutor or representative of a prosecutor's association, a defense attorney or representative of a defense association, and a consumer or family representative.
     (iv) The department of social and health services shall cooperate with the task force and maintain a liaison representative, who shall be a nonvoting member.
     (b) The task force shall choose its chair from among its membership. The legislature shall convene the initial meeting of the task force.
     (2) The task force 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 task force must be provided by the senate committee services and the house of representatives office of program research.
     (4) Legislative members of the task force must be reimbursed for travel expenses in accordance with RCW 44.04.120. Nonlegislative members, except those representing an employer or organization, are entitled to be reimbursed for travel expenses in accordance with RCW 43.03.050 and 43.03.060.
     (5) The expenses of the task force must be paid jointly by the senate and house of representatives. Task force expenditures are subject to approval by the senate facilities and operations committee and the house of representatives executive rules committee, or their successor committees.
     (6) The task force shall report its findings and recommendations to the governor and the appropriate committees of the legislature by December 1, 2010.
     (7) This section expires June 1, 2011.