Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

Public Safety Committee

SSB 5154

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

Brief Description: Concerning registered sex or kidnapping offenders.

Sponsors: Senate Committee on Ways & Means (originally sponsored by Senator Hargrove).

Brief Summary of Substitute Bill

  • Establishes new registration procedures for sex and kidnapping offenders and makes other changes and clarifications to sex and kidnapping registration laws.

  • Creates the crime of refusal to provide a DNA sample.

  • Exempts from public disclosure information held by public agencies that was compiled for the purpose of sex offender and kidnapping offender registration.

  • Makes multiple changes to the community notification procedures and requirements of public agencies regarding sex and kidnapping offenders.

Hearing Date: 3/13/15

Staff: Cassie Jones (786-7303).

Background:

Sex Offender and Kidnapping Offender Registration.

Any adult or juvenile who is residing, is a student, or is employed in Washington who has been found to have committed or has been convicted of a sex or kidnapping offense, or who has been found not guilty by reason of insanity of committing a sex or kidnapping offense, must register with the county sheriff for the county of the person's residence, or county of school or employment if not a resident. If the sex or kidnapping offender is in custody, the duty to register begins at the time of release from custody. Sex and kidnapping offenders who are required to register are required to provide a biological sample for purposes of DNA identification analysis.

A sex or kidnapping offender's duty-to-register continues for the following durations:

Offenders may petition the court for relief from the duty-to-register under certain circumstances; however, a person may not petition for such relief if the person has been determined to be sexually violent predator or was convicted as an adult of a class A felony sex of kidnapping offense with forcible compulsion.

Community Notification and Public Disclosure.

The Department of Corrections (DOC) is authorized to release relevant information that is necessary to protect the public concerning offenders convicted of sex offenses. The DOC has established the End-of-Sentence Review Committee (Committee) for the purposes of assigning risk levels, reviewing release plans, and making appropriate referrals for sex offenders. The Committee classifies offenders according to risk levels I, II, and III based on risk to re-offend in the community (low, moderate, and high risk, respectively).

Law enforcement agencies responsible for disseminating information regarding sex and kidnapping offenders must do the following: (1) review available risk level classifications made by the DOC and other agencies; (2) assign risk level classifications to all offenders; and (3) make a good faith effort to notify the public and residents within a reasonable period of time after the offender registers with the agency.

Public agencies are authorized to release information to the public regarding sex offenders and kidnapping offenders when the agency determines that disclosure of the information is relevant and necessary to protect the public and counteract the danger created by a particular offender. The extent of the public disclosure must be relationally related to: (1) the level of risk posed by the offender to the community; (2) the locations where the offender resides, expects to reside, or is regularly found; and (3) the needs of the affected community members for information to enhance their individual and collective safety.

Law enforcement must consider certain guidelines in determining the extent of the public disclosures regarding sex and kidnapping offenders. For example, for offenders classified as risk level I, the agencies must share information with other law enforcement agencies, and if the offender is a student, with the public or private school. Agencies may disclose information about a level I sex offender to any victim or witness to the offense and to any individual community member who lives near the offender's residence. In addition, agencies may disclose information regarding level II sex offenders to law enforcement agencies, public and private schools, day care centers, libraries, and other entities near where the offender resides. Agencies may also disclose information regarding level III sex offenders to the public at large. The county sheriff with whom an offender is registered as a risk level III must also publish by legal notice, advertising, or news release a sex offender community notification in at least one legal newspaper with general circulation in the area of the sex offender's registered address or location.

Summary of Bill:

Sex Offender and Kidnapping Offender Registration.

The following changes or clarifications are made to laws regarding sex and kidnapping offender registration:

Procedures for Offenders Required to Register.

Consequences of a Tribal Conviction.

Other Clarifications.

Community Notification and Public Disclosure.

The following changes are made to laws regarding community notification:

Other Provisions.

The Superintendent of Public Instruction must publish on its website educational materials regarding:

The Attorney General must evaluate the availability of data to determine the comparability of sex and kidnapping offenses among the states, federal government, and other jurisdictions and recommend whether such a database should be created. The Attorney General must report his or her findings to the appropriate policy committees of the Legislature by December 1, 2015.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available on original bill. New fiscal note requested on March 12, 2015.

Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed.