SENATE BILL REPORT

HB 1727

As Reported By Senate Committee On:

Children & Family Services & Corrections, March 31, 2003

Title: An act relating to death certificates of sex offenders supplied to law enforcement agencies.

Brief Description: Providing that no fee may be charged for death certificates of sex offenders supplied to law enforcement agencies.

Sponsors: Representatives O'Brien and Kirby.

Brief History:

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

SENATE COMMITTEE ON CHILDREN & FAMILY SERVICES & CORRECTIONS

Majority Report: Do pass.

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

Staff: Fara Daun (786-7459)

Background: 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. Registration periods for adults range from ten years to life.

The Washington State Patrol maintains the statewide database of registered sex and kidnapping offenders. Local law enforcement maintains the local database. The statute requires that any information provided by law enforcement be accurate, relevant, and necessary.

Under current law, the Department of Health (DOH) charges a fee of $13 for a certified copy of records, including death certificates. There is an exception for records requested for use in connection with a claim for compensation or pension pending before the Veterans' Administration and no fee may be charged for a copy of those records.

Summary of Bill: DOH must provide certified copies of a death certificate of a sex offender for use by a law enforcement agency to maintain a registered sex offender database.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

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

Testimony For: The fee that the Department of Health has been charging law enforcement for death certificates to update their offender registries is not a big cost, but it is a cost.

Testimony Against: None.

Testified: Representative Al O'Brien, prime sponsor.