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SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 2379
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AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE
Passed Legislature - 2002 Regular Session
State of Washington 57th Legislature 2002
Regular Session
By
Read first time 02/06/2002. Referred to
Committee on .
Making it a crime to
leave a child with a sex offender.
AN ACT Relating to
leaving a child with a sex offender; adding a new section to chapter 9A.42 RCW;
and prescribing penalties.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF
WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec.
1. A new section is added
to chapter 9A.42 RCW to read as follows:
(1) A person is guilty
of the crime of leaving a child in the care of a sex offender if the person is
(a) the parent of a child; (b) entrusted with the physical custody of a child;
or (c) employed to provide to the child the basic necessities of life, and leaves
the child in the care or custody of another person who is not a parent,
guardian, or lawful custodian of the child, knowing that the person is
registered or required to register as a sex offender under the laws of this
state, or a law or ordinance in another jurisdiction with similar requirements,
because of a sex offense against a child.
(2) It is an
affirmative defense to the charge of leaving a child in the care of a sex
offender under this section, that the defendant must prove by a preponderance
of the evidence, that a court has entered an order allowing the offender to
have unsupervised contact with children, or that the offender is allowed to
have unsupervised contact with the child in question under a family
reunification plan, which has been approved by a court, the department of
corrections, or the department of social and health services in accordance with
department policies.
(3)
Leaving a child in the care of a sex offender is a misdemeanor.
