FINAL BILL REPORT

                  SSB 5048

                           C 13 L 99

                      Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description:  Making technical corrections to chapters 10.77 and 71.05 RCW.

Sponsors:  Senate Committee on Human Services & Corrections (originally sponsored by Senators Long and Hargrove).

Senate Committee on Human Services & Corrections

House Committee on Criminal Justice & Corrections

Background:  The implementation of mentally ill offender legislation enacted in 1998 has revealed the need for several technical and clarifying amendments.

Summary:  Several cross-references are corrected, grammatical corrections are made, past effective date and chapter law references are clarified by amending the sections to the actual calendar date that the provisions took effect, and the words Aexpert or@ are stricken from the phrase Aexpert or professional person@ in a definition section.  Striking the words Aexpert or@ clarifies actual usage and removes confusion related to other uses of the term Aexpert.@

In addition, the definition of professional person is corrected to clarify that a professional person may be certified by either the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology or the American Osteopathic Board of Neurology and Psychiatry.

The procedural issue that for a court to give great weight to a matter it must do so based on the evidence before the court is also clarified.  The existing language may have been ambiguous.

Only technical and clarifying changes are made.  None of the amendments are intended to have substantive effect.

Votes on Final Passage:

Senate 49 0

House     92 0

Effective:  July 25, 1999