SENATE BILL REPORT

HB 1712

As Reported By Senate Committee On:

Children & Family Services & Corrections, March 31, 2003

Title: An act relating to registration of sex offenders and kidnapping offenders.

Brief Description: Revising provisions relating to registration of sex offenders and kidnapping offenders.

Sponsors: Representatives O'Brien, Mielke and Darneille; by request of Department of Community, Trade, and Economic Development.

Brief History:

Committee Activity: Children & Family Services & Corrections: 3/26/03, 3/31/03 [DPA].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON CHILDREN & FAMILY SERVICES & CORRECTIONS

Majority Report: Do pass as amended.

      Signed by Senators Stevens, Chair; Parlette, Vice Chair; Carlson, Deccio, Hargrove, McAuliffe and Regala.

Staff: Fara Daun (786-7459)

Background: The federal government, in the Campus Sex Crimes Prevention Act, has amended the registration requirements with which a state must comply in order to be eligible for its full share of Byrne Grant funds.

Current law requires persons convicted of sex or kidnapping offenses who live, work, carry on a vocation, or are students in the state to register with the sheriff of the county of their residence, or if resident of another state, with the county in which they work or attend school. To register, the person must provide the sheriff with his or her name, address (or location, if homeless), birth date and place, place of employment, crime for which convicted, date and place of conviction, aliases used, social security number, photograph, and fingerprints. There are some additional requirements for some categories of registrants including the homeless and college students. If a person who is required to register enrolls in an institution of higher education, he or she must register that enrollment with the sheriff in his or her county of residence within ten days of enrolling at the institution or by the first business day after arriving.

Summary of Amended Bill: Persons required to register as sex or kidnapping offenders who accept employment with a public or private institution of higher education must register that employment with the sheriff of their county of residence within ten days of accepting employment or by the first business day after commencing work at the institution, whichever is earlier.

A person who is required to register and who works or is enrolled at an institution of higher education must also register the termination of that employment or enrollment within ten days of the termination.

Amended Bill Compared to Original Bill: A technical correction is made: changing an "after" to "within" and an "of" to "after" to match the federal legislation.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

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

Testimony For: This is needed to be in compliance with the federal law and maintain eligibility for the full Byrne Grant. There are frequently sex offenders enrolled or employed at or near colleges and universities.

Testimony Against: None.

Testified: Representative Al O'Brien, prime sponsor.