Washington State House of Representatives Office of Program Research | BILL ANALYSIS |
Public Safety Committee |
SB 6537
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 the membership of the criminal justice training commission.
Sponsors: Senators McCoy, Hasegawa, Dhingra and Wilson, C.
Brief Summary of Bill |
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Hearing Date: 2/20/20
Staff: Kelly Leonard (786-7147).
Background:
The Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC) establishes standards for and provides training to criminal justice professionals, including peace officers and local corrections officers. Among its many duties, the CJTC manages the Basic Law Enforcement Academy and provides advanced training to practitioners. The CJTC also certifies and, when necessary, decertifies peace officers.
The CJTC consists of 14 members. Of those, there are three ex-officio members, serving as a result of another official position, including: the Attorney General; the special agent in charge of the Seattle Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and the Chief of the Washington State Patrol. The Governor is required to appoint the remaining 11 members, including:
two incumbent sheriffs;
two incumbent chiefs of police;
one officer with at least 10 years of experience and who is employed at or below the level of first line supervisor from a county law enforcement agency;
one officer with at least 10 years of experience and who is employed at or below the level of first line supervisor from a municipal law enforcement agency;
one person employed in a county correctional system;
one person employed in the state correctional system;
one incumbent county prosecuting attorney or municipal attorney;
one elected official of a local government; and
one private citizen.
Members are appointed for terms of six years, and may be reappointed for additional terms. Members are generally not paid a salary or wage. However, for a member who does not occupy a position with the federal, state, or local government, he or she may be eligible to receive $50 of compensation for each day during which he or she attends an official meeting or performs statutorily prescribed duties, as approved by the CJTC Chair. Members may qualify to receive reimbursement for travel expenses in accordance with state law.
Summary of Bill:
An additional seat on the CJTC is created. The Governor must appoint one additional private citizen. Of the private citizen appointees, one must be from Eastern Washington and the other from Western Washington. At least one private citizen appointee must be from a historically underrepresented community.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Not requested.
Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the session in which the bill is passed.