HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  SB 5455

                       As Passed House

                       April 15, 1993

Title:  An act relating to correcting the codification of a section relating to chemical dependency treatment.

Brief Description:  Correcting the codification of a section relating to chemical dependency.

Sponsors:  Senators Fraser, Deccio and Talmadge; by request of Law Revision Commission.

Brief History:

  Reported by House Committee on:

Human Services, March 18, 1993, DP;

Passed House, April 15, 1993, 96-0.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES

Majority Report:  Do pass.  Signed by 8 members:  Representatives Leonard, Chair; Riley, Vice Chair; Cooke, Ranking Minority Member; Talcott, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Brown; Padden; Patterson; and Thibaudeau.

Staff:  John Welsh, (786-7133).

Background:  In 1989, the Legislature passed two major bills revising the drug and alcohol laws.  One bill repealed the law which prohibited the Department of Social and Health Services from refusing treatment to indigent applicants and recodified the alcohol treatment statutes into a new chapter.  The other bill revised the treatment statute allowing the department to prioritize admissions, but did not recodify the statute in the new alcohol treatment chapter.

Summary of Bill:  The statute which allows the department to prioritize alcohol treatment admissions is recodified in the new alcohol treatment chapter.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  This legislation corrects a mistake.

Testimony Against:  None.

Witnesses:  Representative Fraser, prime sponsor; and Ken Stark, Department of Social and Health Services.