H-1474.1                  _______________________________________________

                                                      HOUSE BILL 1996

                              _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              53rd Legislature                             1993 Regular Session

By Representatives Appelwick, H. Myers, Wang, J. Kohl and Anderson

Read first time 02/19/93.  Referred to Committee on Judiciary.

Requiring court forms to be translated into foreign languages.

          AN ACT Relating to domestic violence; amending RCW 26.50.035; and creating a new section.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  The legislature finds that domestic violence is a problem of immense proportions affecting individuals as well as communities.  Domestic violence has long been recognized as being at the core of other major social problems including child abuse, crimes of violence against persons and property, juvenile delinquency, and alcohol and drug abuse.  Domestic violence costs include the loss of lives as well as millions of dollars each year in the state of Washington for health care, absence from work, and services to children.  The crisis is growing.

          While the existing domestic violence protection order process can be a valuable tool to increase safety for victims and children and hold batterers accountable, victims have difficulty completing the paperwork required if they have limited English proficiency.  Non-English speaking clients may not be able to fully understand what papers they must prepare for a court hearing or to fully understand what rights and obligations they and the batterer have when a domestic violence protection order is issued.

        Sec. 2.  RCW 26.50.035 and 1985 c 303 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:

          The administrator for the courts shall develop and prepare, in consultation with interested persons, the forms and instructional brochures required under RCW 26.50.030(((3))) (4).  The administrator for the courts shall distribute a master copy of the forms and instructional brochures to all court clerks.

The administrator for the courts shall arrange for translation of the instructions and informational brochures required by this section, which shall contain a sample of the standard petition and order for protection forms, into Spanish, Vietnamese, Laotian, Cambodian, and Chinese, and shall distribute a master copy of the translated instructions and informational brochures to all clerks by January 1, 1995.

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