H-4323              _______________________________________________

                                                   HOUSE BILL NO. 3006

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                               51st Legislature                              1990 Regular Session

By Representatives Wineberry, Appelwick, Locke, Anderson, Nelson and Spanel

Read first time 1/31/90 and referred to Committee on Appropriations.

AN ACT Relating to the Washington state minority justice commission; adding a new chapter to Title 43 RCW; and making an appropriation.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.     The legislature finds that the public policy of this state is to insure equal justice for all citizens.  The legislature recognizes that ethnic/racial minorities have special problems when they encounter the justice system of our state.  It is the purpose of this chapter to continue the work begun by the minority and justice task force created by the legislature in the 1987 legislative session.  Therefore, the legislature deems it necessary to create a commission to further the purposes of the task force.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.     (1) There is created a Washington state minority justice commission.  The commission shall consist of eleven members appointed by the governor from the legal professions, ethnic/racial minority communities, and academia.  The governor shall appoint:

          (a) One person from academia;

          (b) One court administrator who is not a lawyer or a judge;

          (c) One public defender;

          (d) One prosecutor;

          (e) The state administrator for the courts;

          (f) Two ethnic/racial minority attorneys in private practice;

          (g) Two persons from the ethnic/racial minority community who are not lawyers, judges, or legal professionals; and

          (h) Two judges.

          (2) In making appointments to the commission, the governor shall insure that each ethnic/racial minority community is represented by at least one member on the commission.  The commission shall be geographically representative of Eastern and Western Washington with at least five members residing from each region.

          (3) Members shall begin to hold office commencing July 1, 1990.  Six initial members shall serve for four-year terms and five initial members shall serve for three-year terms.  After initial appointments, all successive appointments shall be for four-year terms.

          (4) Six members shall constitute a quorum for the purpose of conducting business.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.     (1) The commission shall elect one of its members to serve as chairperson.

          (2) The commission shall advise the governor, legislature, supreme court, office of the court administrator, and other state agencies regarding appropriate action to be taken to insure that ethnic/racial minorities are receiving equal treatment in the state justice system.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.     (1) State funds shall be used to initiate the commission activities from July 1, 1990, to June 30, 1991.  After June 30, 1991, the commission activities shall be funded by the professional, legal, and business communities to the greatest extent possible.  As the level of private sector funding increases, any future requests for state funding shall be reduced incrementally.  Accordingly, the initial appropriation amount shall not be considered a continuing appropriation.

          (2) In carrying out its duties or fund raising activities, the commission may establish such relationships with local governments, professional associations, legal associations, private or public foundations, and private business as may be needed.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5.     The sum of two hundred forty-seven thousand dollars is appropriated for the biennium ending June 30, 1991, from the general fund to the Washington state minority justice task force for the commission's activities.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6.     If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 7.     Sections 1 through 4 of this act shall constitute a new chapter in Title 43 RCW.