FINAL BILL REPORT

ESB 5105

C 266 L 13

Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description: Asserting conditions under which the department of corrections provides rental vouchers to an offender.

Sponsors: Senators Dammeier, Harper and Pearson.

Senate Committee on Human Services & Corrections

Senate Committee on Ways & Means

House Committee on Public Safety

House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on General Government

Background: Offenders committed to a correctional facility operated by the Department of Corrections (DOC) earn early release time for good behavior and good performance. The percentage of the sentence which can be earned varies depending on the circumstances of the offender's underlying offense and date of conviction. Offenders subject to community custody are under the supervision of DOC upon release.

Before an offender may be released early from confinement to community custody, DOC must approve the offender's release plan. The release plan includes the specific residence and living arrangements of the offender. DOC can deny the offender's release plan and release if it determines that the plan places the community or specific victims at risk, if it violates the terms of supervision, or if it places the offender at risk to reoffend or violate the conditions of supervision.

DOC can provide rental vouchers to the offender for a period of up to three months if the rental voucher will result in an approved release plan. The voucher must be provided in conjunction with additional transition support programming or services including, but not limited to, substance abuse treatment, mental health treatment, sex offender treatment, education programming, or employment programming.

Summary: DOC must maintain a list of housing providers that meets specifically outlined criteria. If a housing provider will house more than two voucher recipients in a dwelling unit, the housing provider must be on the DOC list in order to receive rental vouchers. For providers with between four and eight beds, or a greater number if permitted by local code, DOC must provide transition support that verifies an offender is participating in programming or services. DOC must consider the compatibility of the housing with the surrounding neighborhood and underlying zoning and must limit the concentration of housing providers who provide housing to sex offenders in a single neighborhood or area.

Anytime a new housing provider or location is added to the list of housing providers, DOC must give notice to local government where the housing is located. The local government may provide DOC with a community impact statement that includes the number and location of other special-needs housing in the neighborhood and a review of services and supports in the area to assist offenders in their transition. DOC must consider the community impact statement in determining whether to add the provider to the list.

If the provider does not have a certificate of inspection as required by law and local regulation, the local government has ten days to inspect the housing. If local government determines that the housing is in a neighborhood with an existing concentration of special-needs housing, local government may request that the housing provider be removed from the list within ten days of receiving notice of the new provider.

Local government may request that a housing provider be removed from the list at any time if it finds the housing does not comply with state and local codes or zoning regulations. After receiving a request for removal, DOC must immediately notify the housing provider. If the provider cannot demonstrate compliance with the reasons for the request for removal, DOC must remove the provider from the list.

Votes on Final Passage: