HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  SB 5664

             As Reported By House Committee On:

               Criminal Justice & Corrections

Title:  An act relating to community service.

Brief Description:  Renaming, with regard to adult and juvenile offenders, "community service" as "community restitution."

Sponsors:  Senators Costa, Long, Kline, Hargrove, Thibaudeau, Wojahn, Franklin and Jacobsen.

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Criminal Justice & Corrections:  2/16/00, 2/22/00 [DPA].

                 Brief Summary of Bill

            (As Amended by House Committee)

$Changes the term "community service" to "community restitution" throughout the entire Washington statute.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON CRIMINAL JUSTICE & CORRECTIONS

Majority Report:  Do pass as amended.  Signed by 8 members:  Representatives Ballasiotes, Republican Co-Chair; O'Brien, Democratic Co-Chair; Cairnes, Republican Vice Chair; Lovick, Democratic Vice Chair; B. Chandler; Constantine; Kagi and Koster.

Staff:  Yvonne Walker (786-7841).

Background:

Community service is statutorily defined as compulsory service, without compensation, performed for the benefit of the community by an offender as punishment for committing an offense.  Community service may be performed through public or private organizations or through work crews.

However, community service can also refer to an altruistic activity that an individual performs, such as an humanitarian activity for a charity.  This type of community service is quite different from the type of service that is ordered to be served, by a court or otherwise, because of an offense that was committed.

Summary of Amended Bill:

The term "community service" is changed to "community restitution" throughout the entire Washington statute.

Amended Bill Compared to Original Bill:  Technical amendments are made to correct dates and statute references that were amended in the last legislative year.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

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

Testimony For:  This bill is just a clarification that anything that is court ordered is community restitution and it delineates it from anything that a regular citizen or our children would do which is community service for a non-profit agency.  It better defines the type of individuals that are contacting non-profit agencies, since many times it is confusing to know whether someone is doing something out of the goodness of their heart or whether they are doing it because it is mandated by the court.  The bill makes the language in the statute much clearer.

Testimony Against:  None. 

Testified:  Senator Costa, prime sponsor.