| VETO MESSAGE ON SSB 5318 |
| April 30, 2009 |
| To the Honorable President and Members, |
| The Senate of the State of Washington |
| Ladies and Gentlemen: |
| I am returning, without my approval as to Section 2, Substitute Senate Bill 5318 entitled: |
"AN ACT Relating to adding additional appropriate locations for the transfer of newborn children." |
| Section 2 of this bill requires the Department of Social and Health Services to collect and compile information, and to report annually to the Legislature beginning January 1, 2011 regarding the number and medical condition of newborns transferred at appropriate locations and newborns who are abandoned. |
| Legislators may well wish to request ad hoc reports from the department on this topic for the next few years to monitor the implementation of this legislation, but it is likely that, over time, the data in the report will not vary much from year to year. Legislative members and staff are likely to be uninterested in reading such a report even as the department must continue to produce it. I do not believe it is necessary to require this reporting requirement in statute. |
| For these reasons, I have vetoed Section 2 of Substitute Senate Bill 5318. |
| With the exception of Section 2, Substitute Senate Bill 5318 is approved. |
| Respectfully submitted, |
| Christine Gregoire |
| Governor |