S-0766.2

SENATE BILL 5564

BySenators Wagoner, Rolfes, Stanford, Holy, Torres, Dozier, J. Wilson, Fortunato, McCune, Braun, Salomon, Warnick, Shewmake, Randall, Saldaña, L. Wilson, Muzzall, Rivers, Van De Wege, Billig, Conway, Hasegawa, Hunt, Kauffman, Liias, Lovick, Nobles, and Valdez

AN ACT Relating to establishing a reward program for information related to missing or murdered indigenous women and persons, and other missing persons; adding new sections to chapter 43.10 RCW; making an appropriation; and providing an effective date.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 43.10 RCW to read as follows:

(1) The attorney general is authorized to offer and pay a reward of up to $10,000 to any person or persons for information leading to:

(a) The location of a missing or murdered indigenous woman or person, or other missing person, that is the subject of a missing person report under RCW 13.60.020 or 68.50.320; or

(b) The arrest of a specific person or persons convicted of or charged with a criminal offense related to the disappearance of a missing or murdered indigenous woman or person, or other missing person, described in (a) of this subsection.

(2) No reward may be paid to any federal, state, or local government or agency employees for information obtained by them in the normal course of their employment.

(3) The attorney general shall conduct a public outreach campaign to promote and market the reward in subsection (1) of this section and the Washington state patrol's toll-free telephone hotline established in RCW 13.60.010.

(4) The attorney general may adopt rules, policies, and processes to implement this section, including but not limited to developing reward criteria, the amount of reward to be paid, and the method to conduct a public outreach campaign.

(5) Subject to the availability of funds in the Washington missing persons reward account, rewards must be paid on a first come, first served basis to those the attorney general determines is eligible for an award.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 43.10 RCW to read as follows:

The Washington missing persons reward account is created in the custody of the state treasurer. Moneys from legislative appropriations and transfers, federal funds, public or private donations, gifts, and grants, and any other lawful source may be deposited into the account. Expenditures from the account may be used only for the purposes of section 1 of this act, including the attorney general's administrative costs. Only the attorney general, or the attorney general's designee may authorize expenditures from the account. The account is subject to the allotment procedures under chapter 43.88 RCW, but an appropriation is not required for expenditures. When the attorney general determines that the balance of the account is insufficient to ensure the payment of rewards, the attorney general must notify the office of financial management, and the chairs and ranking members of the house appropriations committee and the senate ways and means committee.

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