H-3477.1  _______________________________________________

                          HOUSE BILL 2691

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      53rd Legislature     1994 Regular Session

By Representatives Padden, Long, Van Luven, Dyer, Sheahan, Ballasiotes, Cooke, Brough, Foreman and Tate

Read first time 01/21/94.  Referred to Committee on Judiciary.

Allowing for public access to a judges' sentencing and bail-setting decisions.

    AN ACT Relating to public access to judges' sentencing and bail-setting decisions; and adding a new section to chapter 2.56 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new section is added to chapter 2.56 RCW to read as follows:

    (1) The administrator for the courts shall prepare and distribute a reporting form to record whenever a criminal sentencing or bail-setting decision is made by a judge.  A report using the form shall be compiled monthly by a judge who makes a sentencing or bail-setting decision in a felony case.

    (2) The form shall indicate:

    (a) The judge's name, position, and term of office;

    (b) The crime involved in each case reported;

    (c) With respect to bail decisions, whether bail was denied or set, and if set, what the amount was; and

    (d) With respect to sentencing decisions:

    (i) The length of an incarceration ordered and whether and to what extent it departs from the presumptive range called for by the sentencing reform act;

    (ii) The amount of any fine imposed;

    (iii) The amount of any restitution ordered; and

    (iv) Other information as the administrator for the courts may require.

    (3) The report for each judge in a court shall be available in the office of the clerk of the court for public inspection by the fifth of the month following the month covered by the report.

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