AN ACT Relating to civil service qualifications; amending RCW 41.08.070, 41.12.070, 41.14.100, 43.101.080, and 43.101.095; and adding a new section to chapter 41.04 RCW.

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

Sec. 1.  RCW 41.08.070 and 1972 ex.s. c 37 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

An applicant for a position of any kind under civil service under the provisions of this chapter, must be a citizen of the United States of America or a lawful permanent resident who can read and write the English language.

An applicant for a position of any kind under civil service must be of an age suitable for the position applied for, in ordinary good health, of good moral character and of temperate and industrious habits; these facts to be ascertained in such manner as the commission may deem advisable.

Sec. 2.  RCW 41.12.070 and 1972 ex.s. c 37 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:

An applicant for a position of any kind under civil service under the provisions of this chapter, must be a citizen of the United States of America or a lawful permanent resident who can read and write the English language.

An applicant for a position of any kind under civil service must be of an age suitable for the position applied for, in ordinary good health, of good moral character and of temperate and industrious habits; these facts to be ascertained in such manner as the commission may deem advisable.

Sec. 3.  RCW 41.14.100 and 1963 c 95 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:

An applicant for a position of any kind under civil service under the provisions of this chapter, must be a citizen of the United States or a lawful permanent resident who can read and write the English language.

Sec. 4.  RCW 43.101.080 and 2015 c 225 s 90 are each amended to read as follows:

The commission shall have all of the following powers:

(1) To meet at such times and places as it may deem proper;

(2) To adopt any rules and regulations as it may deem necessary;

(3) To contract for services as it deems necessary in order to carry out its duties and responsibilities;

(4) To cooperate with and secure the cooperation of any department, agency, or instrumentality in state, county, and city government, and other commissions affected by or concerned with the business of the commission;

(5) To do any and all things necessary or convenient to enable it fully and adequately to perform its duties and to exercise the power granted to it;

(6) To select and employ an executive director, and to empower him or her to perform such duties and responsibilities as it may deem necessary;

(7) To assume legal, fiscal, and program responsibility for all training conducted by the commission;

(8) To establish, by rule and regulation, standards for the training of criminal justice personnel where such standards are not prescribed by statute;

(9) To own, establish, and operate, or to contract with other qualified institutions or organizations for the operation of, training and education programs for criminal justice personnel and to purchase, lease, or otherwise acquire, subject to the approval of the department of enterprise services, a training facility or facilities necessary to the conducting of such programs;

(10) To establish, by rule and regulation, minimum curriculum standards for all training programs conducted for employed criminal justice personnel;

(11) To review and approve or reject standards for instructors of training programs for criminal justice personnel, and to employ personnel on a temporary basis as instructors without any loss of employee benefits to those instructors;

(12) To direct the development of alternative, ((innovate [innovative])) innovative, and interdisciplinary training techniques;

(13) To review and approve or reject training programs conducted for criminal justice personnel and rules establishing and prescribing minimum training and education standards recommended by the training standards and education boards;

(14) To allocate financial resources among training and education programs conducted by the commission;

(15) To allocate training facility space among training and education programs conducted by the commission;

(16) To issue diplomas certifying satisfactory completion of any training or education program conducted or approved by the commission to any person so completing such a program;

(17) To provide for the employment of such personnel as may be practical to serve as temporary replacements for any person engaged in a basic training program as defined by the commission;

(18) To establish rules and regulations recommended by the training standards and education boards prescribing minimum standards relating to physical, mental and moral fitness which shall govern the recruitment of criminal justice personnel where such standards are not prescribed by statute or constitutional provision;

(19) To require county, city, or state law enforcement agencies that make a conditional offer of employment to an applicant as a fully commissioned peace officer or a reserve officer to administer a background investigation including a check of criminal history, verification of immigrant or citizenship status as either a citizen of the United States of America or a lawful permanent resident, a psychological examination, and a polygraph test or similar assessment to each applicant, the results of which shall be used by the employer to determine the applicant's suitability for employment as a fully commissioned peace officer or a reserve officer. The background investigation, psychological examination, and the polygraph examination shall be administered in accordance with the requirements of RCW 43.101.095(2). The employing county, city, or state law enforcement agency may require that each peace officer or reserve officer who is required to take a psychological examination and a polygraph or similar test pay a portion of the testing fee based on the actual cost of the test or four hundred dollars, whichever is less. County, city, and state law enforcement agencies may establish a payment plan if they determine that the peace officer or reserve officer does not readily have the means to pay for his or her portion of the testing fee;

(20) To promote positive relationships between law enforcement and the citizens of the state of Washington by allowing commissioners and staff to participate in the "chief for a day program." The executive director shall designate staff who may participate. In furtherance of this purpose, the commission may accept grants of funds and gifts and may use its public facilities for such purpose. At all times, the participation of commissioners and staff shall comply with chapter 42.52 RCW and chapter 292-110 WAC.

All rules and regulations adopted by the commission shall be adopted and administered pursuant to the administrative procedure act, chapter 34.05 RCW, and the open public meetings act, chapter 42.30 RCW.

Sec. 5.  RCW 43.101.095 and 2011 c 234 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) As a condition of continuing employment as peace officers, all Washington peace officers: (a) Shall timely obtain certification as peace officers, or timely obtain certification or exemption therefrom, by meeting all requirements of RCW 43.101.200, as that section is administered under the rules of the commission, as well by meeting any additional requirements under this chapter; and (b) shall maintain the basic certification as peace officers under this chapter.

(2)(a) As a condition of continuing employment for any applicant who has been offered a conditional offer of employment as a fully commissioned peace officer or a reserve officer after July 24, 2005, including any person whose certification has lapsed as a result of a break of more than twenty-four consecutive months in the officer's service as a fully commissioned peace officer or reserve officer, the applicant shall submit to a background investigation including a check of criminal history, verification of immigrant or citizenship status as either a citizen of the United States of America or a lawful permanent resident, a psychological examination, and a polygraph or similar assessment as administered by the county, city, or state law enforcement agency, the results of which shall be used to determine the applicant's suitability for employment as a fully commissioned peace officer or a reserve officer.

(i) The background investigation including a check of criminal history shall be administered by the county, city, or state law enforcement agency that made the conditional offer of employment in compliance with standards established in the rules of the commission.

(ii) The psychological examination shall be administered by a psychiatrist licensed in the state of Washington pursuant to chapter 18.71 RCW or a psychologist licensed in the state of Washington pursuant to chapter 18.83 RCW, in compliance with standards established in rules of the commission.

(iii) The polygraph test shall be administered by an experienced polygrapher who is a graduate of a polygraph school accredited by the American polygraph association and in compliance with standards established in rules of the commission.

(iv) Any other test or assessment to be administered as part of the background investigation shall be administered in compliance with standards established in rules of the commission.

(b) The employing county, city, or state law enforcement agency may require that each peace officer or reserve officer who is required to take a psychological examination and a polygraph or similar test pay a portion of the testing fee based on the actual cost of the test or four hundred dollars, whichever is less. County, city, and state law enforcement agencies may establish a payment plan if they determine that the peace officer or reserve officer does not readily have the means to pay for his or her portion of the testing fee.

(3) The commission shall certify peace officers who have satisfied, or have been exempted by statute or by rule from, the basic training requirements of RCW 43.101.200 on or before January 1, 2002. Thereafter, the commission may revoke certification pursuant to this chapter.

(4) The commission shall allow a peace officer to retain status as a certified peace officer as long as the officer: (a) Timely meets the basic law enforcement training requirements, or is exempted therefrom, in whole or in part, under RCW 43.101.200 or under rule of the commission; (b) meets or is exempted from any other requirements under this chapter as administered under the rules adopted by the commission; (c) is not denied certification by the commission under this chapter; and (d) has not had certification revoked by the commission.

(5) As a prerequisite to certification, as well as a prerequisite to pursuit of a hearing under RCW 43.101.155, a peace officer must, on a form devised or adopted by the commission, authorize the release to the commission of his or her personnel files, termination papers, criminal investigation files, or other files, papers, or information that are directly related to a certification matter or decertification matter before the commission.

(6) The commission is authorized to receive criminal history record information that includes nonconviction data for any purpose associated with employment by the commission or peace officer certification under this chapter. Dissemination or use of nonconviction data for purposes other than that authorized in this section is prohibited.

(7) For a national criminal history records check, the commission shall require fingerprints be submitted and searched through the Washington state patrol identification and criminal history section. The Washington state patrol shall forward the fingerprints to the federal bureau of investigation.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 6.  A new section is added to chapter 41.04 RCW to read as follows:

"Lawful permanent resident" has the same meaning afforded a person "lawfully admitted for permanent residence" in 8 U.S.C. Sec. 1101(a)(20), as of the effective date of this section.

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