S-0127.1  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 5396

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      56th Legislature     1999 Regular Session

By Senators Loveland, Costa, Patterson, Horn, Oke and Winsley

Read first time 01/21/1999.  Referred to Committee on Ways & Means.

Authorizing the forensic investigations council to make expenditures to assist in investigations of multiple deaths.

    AN ACT Relating to investigations of multiple deaths; and amending RCW 43.103.090.

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

    Sec. 1.  RCW 43.103.090 and 1995 c 398 s 8 are each amended to read as follows:

    The council may:

    (1) Meet at such times and places as may be designated by a majority vote of the council members or, if a majority cannot agree, by the chair;

    (2) Adopt rules governing the council and the conduct of its meetings;

    (3) Require reports from the state toxicologist on matters pertaining to the toxicology laboratory;

    (4) Require reports from the chief of the Washington state patrol on matters pertaining to the crime laboratory;

    (5) Be actively involved in the preparation of the crime laboratory and toxicology laboratory budgets and shall approve the crime laboratory and toxicology laboratory budgets prior to their formal submission to the office of financial management pursuant to RCW 43.88.030;

    (6) Authorize the expenditure of up to two hundred fifty thousand dollars per biennium from the death investigations account established by RCW 43.79.445 for the purpose of assisting local jurisdictions in the investigation of multiple deaths involving unanticipated, extraordinary, and catastrophic events, or involving multiple jurisdictions.  The council shall adopt rules consistent with this subsection for purposes of authorizing expenditure of the funds;

(7) Do anything, necessary or convenient, which enables the council to perform its duties and to exercise its powers;

    (((7))) (8) Appoint a toxicologist as state toxicologist to serve at the pleasure of the council; and

    (((8))) (9) Set the salary for the state toxicologist.

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