HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  HB 2588

             As Reported By House Committee On:

                 Children & Family Services

Title:  An act relating to domestic violence fatality reviews.

Brief Description:  Creating domestic violence fatality review panels.

Sponsors:  Representatives Tokuda, D. Sommers, Kagi, Boldt, Kenney, Dickerson, Ogden, Veloria, Haigh, Santos, Romero, O'Brien, Edwards, Constantine, Rockefeller, Miloscia and McIntire.

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Children & Family Services:  2/3/00 [DPS].

           Brief Summary of Substitute Bill

$Subject to available funds, the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) will contract with an entity with expertise in domestic violence to coordinate regional domestic violence fatality review panels.

$The contractor is given various responsibilities to convene, train, and gather information for the panels.

$Annual reports with recommendations to improve the system of response to domestic violence, and to identify patterns in domestic violence fatalities, are required.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON CHILDREN & FAMILY SERVICES

Majority Report:  The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  Signed by 10 members:  Representatives D. Sommers, Republican Co-Chair; Tokuda, Democratic Co-Chair; Boldt, Republican Vice Chair; Kagi, Democratic Vice Chair; Campbell; Carrell; Dickerson; Eickmeyer; Kastama and Pflug.

Staff:  Deborah Frazier (786-7152).

Background:

Local Departments of Health are responsible for conducting child mortality reviews for persons under 18 years of age.  The purpose of the review is to identify preventable causes of child mortality, including violence, so that these causes may be addressed.

County coroners are responsible for determining whether an inquest is needed to examine the death of a person suspected to be a result of unlawful means or suspicious circumstances, or of  unnatural or violent causes.  The purpose of the inquest is to determine the cause of death and to support enforcement of criminal laws related to death.

In 1997, Washington received grant funding from the federal Violence Against Women Act to create a model for a statewide domestic violence fatality review mechanism.  Three pilot review panels covering five counties (Pierce, Spokane, Chelan, Douglas, and Okanogan) began reviewing deaths in 1998.  A fourth panel was formed in Yakima/Kittitas Counties in 1999, and a fifth is being organized in King County.  At least four other communities have requested help in forming review panels.

Summary of Substitute Bill:

The substitute bill provides that, subject to available funds, DSHS will contract with an entity with expertise in domestic violence to coordinate regional domestic violence fatality review panels.  The contractor is given various responsibilities to convene, train,  and gather information for the panels.  The contractor is charged with the responsibility to compile information and issue annual reports with recommendations to improve the system of response to domestic violence, and to identify patterns in domestic violence fatalities.

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill:  The original bill provided that, subject to available funds, the Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development (DCTED) would contract to coordinate regional domestic violence fatality review panels.  The bill gave the panels access to information about the batterer from various sources.   Employer records for both the perpetrator and the victim were made accessible.

The substitute bill makes a technical correction by giving the responsibility for contracting for the coordination of domestic violence fatality review panels to DSHS.  Access to employer records is limited to the perpetrator only, rather than both the perpetrator and the victim.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Available.

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

Testimony For:  We must have ways to institutionalize access to information so that we can better understand the problem of domestic violence.  It is critical that we analyze what is going on, and improve our current system of response to domestic violence.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  (In support) Margaret Hobart, Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence; and Barbara Fleming, King County Prosecutor's Office.