FINAL BILL REPORT

                 SHB 2754

                         C 240 L 94

                     Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description:  Authorizing use of closed circuit television in court procedural hearings.

By House Committee on Judiciary (originally sponsored by Representatives McMorris, Appelwick, Padden, Campbell, Schoesler, Johanson, Foreman, Mielke, Finkbeiner, Fuhrman, Mastin, Wineberry, Sheahan, L. Thomas, Cooke, Brough and Springer).

House Committee on Judiciary

Senate Committee on Law & Justice

Background:  To ensure that a procedural hearing is conducted in a timely and secure manner, a court may need or want to conduct a procedural hearing in one location when the defendant is located in another location.  Some courts have used closed circuit television or other electronic equipment to conduct procedural hearings.  The Office of the Administrator for the Courts is the administrative arm of the courts and examines administrative methods and systems employed by the courts.

Summary:  The Office of the Administrator for the Courts, under the direction of the chief justice, is directed to authorize the use of closed circuit television and other electronic equipment in judicial proceedings.  The administrator must establish standards and procedures and provide technical assistance to the courts.

Votes on Final Passage:

House  95 0

Senate 46 1 (Senate amended)

House  90 0 (House concurred)

Effective:  June 9, 1994