SHB 1319 -
By Committee on Human Services & Corrections
ADOPTED 04/11/2007
Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:
"Sec. 1 RCW 9A.46.110 and 2006 c 95 s 3 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) A person commits the crime of stalking if, without lawful
authority and under circumstances not amounting to a felony attempt of
another crime:
(a) He or she intentionally and repeatedly harasses or repeatedly
follows another person; and
(b) The person being harassed or followed is placed in fear that
the stalker intends to injure the person, another person, or property
of the person or of another person. The feeling of fear must be one
that a reasonable person in the same situation would experience under
all the circumstances; and
(c) The stalker either:
(i) Intends to frighten, intimidate, or harass the person; or
(ii) Knows or reasonably should know that the person is afraid,
intimidated, or harassed even if the stalker did not intend to place
the person in fear or intimidate or harass the person.
(2)(a) It is not a defense to the crime of stalking under
subsection (1)(c)(i) of this section that the stalker was not given
actual notice that the person did not want the stalker to contact or
follow the person; and
(b) It is not a defense to the crime of stalking under subsection
(1)(c)(ii) of this section that the stalker did not intend to frighten,
intimidate, or harass the person.
(3) It shall be a defense to the crime of stalking that the
defendant is a licensed private investigator acting within the capacity
of his or her license as provided by chapter 18.165 RCW.
(4) Attempts to contact or follow the person after being given
actual notice that the person does not want to be contacted or followed
constitutes prima facie evidence that the stalker intends to intimidate
or harass the person. "Contact" includes, in addition to any other
form of contact or communication, the sending of an electronic
communication to the person.
(5)(a) Except as provided in (b) of this subsection, a person who
stalks another person is guilty of a gross misdemeanor.
(b) A person who stalks another is guilty of a class C felony if
any of the following applies: (i) The stalker has previously been
convicted in this state or any other state of any crime of harassment,
as defined in RCW 9A.46.060, of the same victim or members of the
victim's family or household or any person specifically named in a
protective order; (ii) the stalking violates any protective order
protecting the person being stalked; (iii) the stalker has previously
been convicted of a gross misdemeanor or felony stalking offense under
this section for stalking another person; (iv) the stalker was armed
with a deadly weapon, as defined in RCW 9.94A.602, while stalking the
person; (v)(A) the stalker's victim is or was a law enforcement
officer((,)); judge((,)); juror((,)); attorney((,)); victim
advocate((,)); legislator((,)); community correction's officer((,)); an
employee, contract staff person, or volunteer of a correctional agency;
or an employee of the child protective, child welfare, or adult
protective services division within the department of social and health
services((,)); and (B) the stalker stalked the victim to retaliate
against the victim for an act the victim performed during the course of
official duties or to influence the victim's performance of official
duties; or (vi) the stalker's victim is a current, former, or
prospective witness in an adjudicative proceeding, and the stalker
stalked the victim to retaliate against the victim as a result of the
victim's testimony or potential testimony.
(6) As used in this section:
(a) "Correctional agency" means a person working for the department
of natural resources in a correctional setting or any state, county, or
municipally operated agency with the authority to direct the release of
a person serving a sentence or term of confinement and includes but is
not limited to the department of corrections, the indeterminate
sentence review board, and the department of social and health
services.
(b) "Follows" means deliberately maintaining visual or physical
proximity to a specific person over a period of time. A finding that
the alleged stalker repeatedly and deliberately appears at the person's
home, school, place of employment, business, or any other location to
maintain visual or physical proximity to the person is sufficient to
find that the alleged stalker follows the person. It is not necessary
to establish that the alleged stalker follows the person while in
transit from one location to another.
(((b))) (c) "Harasses" means unlawful harassment as defined in RCW
10.14.020.
(((c))) (d) "Protective order" means any temporary or permanent
court order prohibiting or limiting violence against, harassment of,
contact or communication with, or physical proximity to another person.
(((d))) (e) "Repeatedly" means on two or more separate occasions."
SHB 1319 -
By Committee on Human Services & Corrections
ADOPTED 04/11/2007
On page 1, line 2 of the title, after "stalking;" strike the remainder of the title and insert "and amending RCW 9A.46.110."