BILL REQ. #:  S-0782.1 

Read first time 01/25/13.   Referred to Committee on Human Services & Corrections.

     AN ACT Relating to establishing the commercially sexually exploited children statewide coordinating committee; and adding a new section to chapter 7.68 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   A new section is added to chapter 7.68 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The commercially sexually exploited children statewide coordinating committee is established to address the issue of children who are commercially sexually exploited, to examine the practices of local and regional entities involved in addressing sexually exploited children, and to make recommendations on statewide laws and practices.
     (2) The committee is called to order by the governor's office and consists of the following members:
     (a) One member from each of the two largest caucuses of the house of representatives;
     (b) One member from each of the two largest caucuses of the Senate;
     (c) A representative of the governor's office appointed by the governor;
     (d) The secretary of the children's administration or his or her designee;
     (e) The secretary of the juvenile rehabilitation administration or his or her designee;
     (f) The attorney general or his or her designee;
     (g) The superintendent of public instruction or his or her designee;
     (h) A representative of the administrative office of the courts appointed by the administrative office of the courts;
     (i) The executive director of the Washington association of sheriffs and police chiefs or his or her designee;
     (j) The executive director of the Washington state criminal justice training commission or his or her designee;
     (k) A representative of the Washington association of prosecuting attorneys appointed by the association;
     (l) The executive director of the office of public defense or his or her designee;
     (m) Three representatives of community service providers that provide direct services to commercially sexually exploited children appointed by the governor;
     (n) Two representatives of nongovernmental organizations familiar with the issues affecting commercially sexually exploited children appointed by the governor;
     (o) The president of the superior court judges' association or his or her designee;
     (p) The president of the juvenile court administrators or his or her designee; and
     (q) Any existing chairs of regional task forces on commercially sexually exploited children.
     (3) The duties of the committee include, but are not limited to:
     (a) Receiving reports and data from local and regional entities regarding the incidence of commercially sexually exploited children in their areas as well as data information regarding perpetrators, geographic data and location trends, and any other data deemed relevant;
     (b) Receiving reports on local coordinated community response practices and results of the community responses;
     (c) Reviewing recommendations from local and regional entities regarding policy and legislative changes that would improve the efficiency and effectiveness of local response practices;
     (d) Making recommendations regarding policy and legislative changes that would improve the effectiveness of the state's response to and promote best practices for suppression of the commercial sexual exploitation of children;
     (e) Making recommendations regarding data collection useful to understanding or addressing the problem of commercially sexually exploited children; and
     (f) Reviewing and making recommendations regarding strategic local investments or opportunities for federal and state funding to address the commercial sexual exploitation of children.
     (4) The committee must meet no less than annually.