CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT

HOUSE BILL 1939

Chapter 472, Laws of 2007

60th Legislature
2007 Regular Session



PRIVILEGED COMMUNICATIONS



EFFECTIVE DATE: 07/22/07

Passed by the House February 28, 2007
  Yeas 97   Nays 0

FRANK CHOPP
________________________________________    
Speaker of the House of Representatives


Passed by the Senate April 11, 2007
  Yeas 47   Nays 0


BRAD OWEN
________________________________________    
President of the Senate
 
CERTIFICATE

I, Richard Nafziger, Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is HOUSE BILL 1939 as passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate on the dates hereon set forth.


RICHARD NAFZIGER
________________________________________    
Chief Clerk
Approved May 14, 2007, 3:45 p.m.








CHRISTINE GREGOIRE
________________________________________    
Governor of the State of Washington
 
FILED
May 15, 2007







Secretary of State
State of Washington


_____________________________________________ 

HOUSE BILL 1939
_____________________________________________

Passed Legislature - 2007 Regular Session
State of Washington60th Legislature2007 Regular Session

By Representatives Goodman, Warnick, Rodne, Williams, Priest, Moeller, B. Sullivan, Cody, Chase, Pedersen, Lantz and Hinkle

Read first time 02/01/2007.   Referred to Committee on Judiciary.



     AN ACT Relating to privileged communications; and reenacting and amending RCW 5.60.060.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 5.60.060 and 2006 c 259 s 2, 2006 c 202 s 1, and 2006 c 30 s 1 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:
     (1) A husband shall not be examined for or against his wife, without the consent of the wife, nor a wife for or against her husband without the consent of the husband; nor can either during marriage or afterward, be without the consent of the other, examined as to any communication made by one to the other during marriage. But this exception shall not apply to a civil action or proceeding by one against the other, nor to a criminal action or proceeding for a crime committed by one against the other, nor to a criminal action or proceeding against a spouse if the marriage occurred subsequent to the filing of formal charges against the defendant, nor to a criminal action or proceeding for a crime committed by said husband or wife against any child of whom said husband or wife is the parent or guardian, nor to a proceeding under chapter 70.96A, 70.96B, 71.05, or 71.09 RCW: PROVIDED, That the spouse of a person sought to be detained under chapter 70.96A, 70.96B, 71.05, or 71.09 RCW may not be compelled to testify and shall be so informed by the court prior to being called as a witness.
     (2)(a) An attorney or counselor shall not, without the consent of his or her client, be examined as to any communication made by the client to him or her, or his or her advice given thereon in the course of professional employment.
     (b) A parent or guardian of a minor child arrested on a criminal charge may not be examined as to a communication between the child and his or her attorney if the communication was made in the presence of the parent or guardian. This privilege does not extend to communications made prior to the arrest.
     (3) A member of the clergy, a Christian Science practitioner listed in the Christian Science Journal, or a priest shall not, without the consent of a person making the confession or sacred confidence, be examined as to any confession or sacred confidence made to him or her in his or her professional character, in the course of discipline enjoined by the church to which he or she belongs.
     (4) Subject to the limitations under RCW 70.96A.140 or 71.05.360 (8) and (9), a physician or surgeon or osteopathic physician or surgeon or podiatric physician or surgeon shall not, without the consent of his or her patient, be examined in a civil action as to any information acquired in attending such patient, which was necessary to enable him or her to prescribe or act for the patient, except as follows:
     (a) In any judicial proceedings regarding a child's injury, neglect, or sexual abuse or the cause thereof; and
     (b) Ninety days after filing an action for personal injuries or wrongful death, the claimant shall be deemed to waive the physician-patient privilege. Waiver of the physician-patient privilege for any one physician or condition constitutes a waiver of the privilege as to all physicians or conditions, subject to such limitations as a court may impose pursuant to court rules.
     (5) A public officer shall not be examined as a witness as to communications made to him or her in official confidence, when the public interest would suffer by the disclosure.
     (6)(a) A peer support group counselor shall not, without consent of the law enforcement officer or firefighter making the communication, be compelled to testify about any communication made to the counselor by the officer or firefighter while receiving counseling. The counselor must be designated as such by the sheriff, police chief, fire chief, or chief of the Washington state patrol, prior to the incident that results in counseling. The privilege only applies when the communication was made to the counselor while acting in his or her capacity as a peer support group counselor. The privilege does not apply if the counselor was an initial responding officer or firefighter, a witness, or a party to the incident which prompted the delivery of peer support group counseling services to the law enforcement officer or firefighter.
     (b) For purposes of this section, "peer support group counselor" means a:
     (i) Law enforcement officer, firefighter, civilian employee of a law enforcement agency, or civilian employee of a fire department, who has received training to provide emotional and moral support and counseling to an officer or firefighter who needs those services as a result of an incident in which the officer or firefighter was involved while acting in his or her official capacity; or
     (ii) Nonemployee counselor who has been designated by the sheriff, police chief, fire chief, or chief of the Washington state patrol to provide emotional and moral support and counseling to an officer or firefighter who needs those services as a result of an incident in which the officer or firefighter was involved while acting in his or her official capacity.
     (7) A sexual assault advocate may not, without the consent of the victim, be examined as to any communication made between the victim and the sexual assault advocate.
     (a) For purposes of this section, "sexual assault advocate" means the employee or volunteer from a rape crisis center, victim assistance unit, program, or association, that provides information, medical or legal advocacy, counseling, or support to victims of sexual assault, who is designated by the victim to accompany the victim to the hospital or other health care facility and to proceedings concerning the alleged assault, including police and prosecution interviews and court proceedings.
     (b) A sexual assault advocate may disclose a confidential communication without the consent of the victim if failure to disclose is likely to result in a clear, imminent risk of serious physical injury or death of the victim or another person. Any sexual assault advocate participating in good faith in the disclosing of records and communications under this section shall have immunity from any liability, civil, criminal, or otherwise, that might result from the action. In any proceeding, civil or criminal, arising out of a disclosure under this section, the good faith of the sexual assault advocate who disclosed the confidential communication shall be presumed.
     (8) A domestic violence advocate may not, without the consent of the victim, be examined as to any communication between the victim and the domestic violence advocate.
     (a) For purposes of this section, "domestic violence advocate" means an employee or supervised volunteer from a community-based domestic violence program or human services program that provides information, advocacy, counseling, crisis intervention, emergency shelter, or support to victims of domestic violence and who is not employed by, or under the direct supervision of, a law enforcement agency, a prosecutor's office, or the child protective services section of the department of social and health services as defined in RCW 26.44.020.
     (b) A domestic violence advocate may disclose a confidential communication without the consent of the victim if failure to disclose is likely to result in a clear, imminent risk of serious physical injury or death of the victim or another person. This section does not relieve a domestic violence advocate from the requirement to report or cause to be reported an incident under RCW 26.44.030(1) or to disclose relevant records relating to a child as required by RCW 26.44.030(11). Any domestic violence advocate participating in good faith in the disclosing of communications under this subsection is immune from liability, civil, criminal, or otherwise, that might result from the action. In any proceeding, civil or criminal, arising out of a disclosure under this subsection, the good faith of the domestic violence advocate who disclosed the confidential communication shall be presumed.


         Passed by the House February 28, 2007.
         Passed by the Senate April 11, 2007.
         Approved by the Governor May 14, 2007.
         Filed in Office of Secretary of State May 15, 2007.