HB 2967: Drug crimes

Summary

• Appropriates $4 million from the General Fund to the Washington State Patrol for multi-jurisdictional task forces and drug prosecution assistance.
• Expands the term "drug court" to include courts whose jurisdiction is conferred over juvenile offenders.
• Requires the Department of Community, Trade, and Economic Development to review various funding sources to determine whether funding is adequate to accomplish the mission of the meth action teams.
• Clarifies that all sentence enhancements relating to violations of the Uniform Controlled Substance Act in drug-free zones are to be run consecutively (instead of concurrently) to all other sentencing provisions.
• Provides that offenders participating in the Drug Offender Sentencing Alternative (DOSA) program are eligible for 33 percent (instead of 50 percent) of earned release time.
• Requires the courts to request chemical dependency screening reports before imposing a sentence upon a defendant that has been convicted of "any" type of a felony where it is found that the offender has a chemical dependency that contributed to his or her offense.

From the House Bill Report (HB 2967), written by the Legislature's nonpartisan staff. Read the full report ↗