H-1669.1  _______________________________________________

                          HOUSE BILL 1939

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State of Washington      56th Legislature     1999 Regular Session

By Representatives Lambert, Lovick, Cox and Bush

Read first time 02/11/1999.  Referred to Committee on Criminal Justice & Corrections.

Implementing penalties to public employees who commit theft.

    AN ACT Relating to theft by public officers or employees; and adding a new section to chapter 9A.56 RCW; and creating a new section.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  The legislature finds that public officers and public employees hold a special position of trust as public servants, and as fiduciaries of that trust must be held to a higher standard of accountability for criminal actions that result in the theft of government property or services paid for with public funds.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 9A.56 RCW to read as follows:

    A public officer or employee who is convicted of theft of any property or service, where the property or service was government property or a government service, or was paid for, in whole or in part, with public funds, shall serve no less than one-third the maximum time of confinement imposed within the sentence range for the offense based on the offender score, and without the possibility of release until such minimum time has been served.

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