Public safety focus of House action

February 19, 2008

Olympia, WA – New strategies to crack down on street gangs and DUI offenders were among the public safety-related bills passed by the House of Representatives on Monday.

"People deserve to feel safe in their homes, in their workplaces, and in their communities," said state Rep. Pat Lantz (D - Gig Harbor), who chairs the House Judiciary Committee. "Our job as legislators is to make the kinds of decisions that keep individuals and families across Washington more safe.  These bills do that."

Majority Democrats sponsored bills addressing a host of public safety issues.  Legislation specifically targeting sex offenders who have been released from custody was passed by the House in a separate package last week.

Among the measures that cleared the House today:

Criminal street gangs  (House Bill 2712 by Rep. Christopher Hurst, D - Enumclaw)
In response to gang-related activity that has been spreading throughout Washington's communities, Hurst introduced multi-pronged legislation to help local communities, many of which currently have limited resources, deal with gang problems.  The bill includes funds for prevention, suppression, and intervention of criminal street gang activity, as well as clean-up of gang graffiti.  

"Gang problems are not just confined to big cities," Hurst said.  "We have them in our suburbs, in our small towns, both west and east of the mountains.  This bill helps citizens reclaim their communities, and gives law enforcement the tools they've been lacking to address this growing problem."

Another feature of the bill would direct the Washington State Patrol to work together with the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs on the coordination of an existing statewide database to track and access criminal street gangs. (Passed 94 to1)

DUI vehicular assault/vehicular homicide sentencing (House Bill 2621 by Rep. Hurst)
This law would require certain sentences for vehicular assault and vehicular homicide to run consecutively rather than concurrently.  It gives judges the authority to impose more appropriate sentences in cases involving multiple victims when the offender is found to have been driving under the influence.

"Someone who kills an entire family while driving drunk should serve a longer sentence," Hurst said. "To the victims' families and friends, concurrent sentencing often feels like justice was not served.  This bill will send a clear message that we are tough on drunk drivers in this state." (Passed 94  to1) 

Ignition interlocks for DUI offenders (House Bill 3254 by Rep. Roger Goodman, D - Kirkland)

Goodman’s DUI proposal makes saving lives its top priority by creating a provisional license for drunken drivers who get an alcohol-detecting device installed in their vehicle.  The device prevents the vehicle from being driven if they have alcohol in their system.  Right now 39 percent of traffic fatalities are alcohol-related.  Almost three quarters of people with suspended licenses drive anyway.

“We know these devices stop known drunken drivers from continuing to endanger our roads,” Goodman said.  “Drunken driving is arguable our most pressing public safety issue.  With interlock devices in DUI offenders’ cars, we will save lives.”

Drunken drivers convicted of some offenses, like vehicular assault or homicide, would not be eligible for an ignition interlock license under Goodman's bill. The bill also shortens the time between a drunken driving offense and the time a person has to challenge the charge, from 30 days down to 20. (Passed 95 to 0) 
 

DNA Collection (House Bill 2713 by Rep Larry Seaquist, D-Gig Harbor)
This bill, which is request legislation from Governor Gregoire, will bolster the DNA database maintained by the Washington State Patrol.   

“By collecting DNA samples from people when they are convicted of a number of different crimes, we can help our law enforcement professionals rapidly identify the repeat offenders," Seaquist said.  "This broader DNA collection will speed up investigations, put more criminals behind bars, and make our communities safer.”  (Passed 80 to 15)

Toxic Toys (House Bill 2647 by Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson, D - Seattle)
In response to numerous recalls of toys found to contain toxic materials, Dickerson sponsored this bill to prohibit the manufacture, sale or distribution of children's products containing a certain concentration of lead, cadmium or phthalates.  These toxic chemicals are known health hazards that can affect a child's development.

"In the past six months, millions of toys have been recalled in this country because they contained toxic chemicals," Dickerson said.  "This isn't rocket science.  If it's possible to send people to the moon, it's possible to take the toxins out of toys."

Employment leave for domestic violence victims (House Bill 2602 by Rep. Lynn Kessler, D - Hoquiam)
According to one survey, over 50 percent of advocates working with domestic violence victims reported that these victims had lost their jobs or been demoted during their period of crisis .  Kessler's bill would require employers to grant reasonable leave to employees who are victims of domestic violence, stalking, sexual assault, or those whose family members are victims.  Ten other states already allow such leave.

"We must end the discrimination that exists against those who are trying to get out of a very threatening situation," Kessler said.  "These people need jobs so that they can be independent.  Often, losing their job means staying in the abusive situation because they have no place else to go." (Passed 81 to14)

Additional public safety bills passed by the House:

• HB 2668 helps vulnerable adults and their caregivers by expanding services to include family caregiver support and respite, aging and disability resource centers, a falls prevention program, and behavior support and training.  The bill also authorizes the Department of Social and Health Services to conduct vulnerable adult fatality reviews. (Rep. Dawn Morrell, D - Puyallup)
• HB 2693 establishes a new program of training and certification for long-term care workers who are paid to provide personal care assistance to persons with functional disabilities.  The program would begin in 2010. (Rep. Dawn Morrell, D - Puyallup)
• HB 2507, which passed on Friday, expands the state's first responder mapping system to higher education facilities.  This will help emergency personnel respond more quickly to incidents on two- and four-year college campuses.  (Rep. Al O'Brien, D - Mountlake Terrace)