Other LanguagesOLYMPIA -- Four of Attorney General Rob McKenna’s public safety and consumer protection bills will receive hearings this week.
PROTECTING VULNERABLE ADULTS
SB 6202 would provide new protections for vulnerable adults. The bill will be heard by the House Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Committee at 10 a.m. today in the John O’Brien Building, Hearing Room E. The bill is sponsored by Sen. James Hargrove, D-Hoquiam, and co-sponsored by Sen. Janéa Holmquist, R-Moses Lake, among others.
PROTECTING VICTIMS OF SERIAL DOMESTIC ABUSERS
ESHB 2427 would require longer sentences for repeat, felony domestic abusers. The bill, prime-sponsored by Rep. Kirk Pearson, R-Monroe, will be heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee at 10 a.m. today in the J.A. Cherberg Building, Senate Hearing Room 1.
PROTECTING CHILDREN FROM SEXUAL EXPLOITATION
ESHB 2424 would give law enforcement an additional tool to prosecute those who intentionally access child pornography. The bill, prime-sponsored by Rep. Al O’Brien, D-Seattle, will be heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday in the J.A. Cherberg Building, Senate Hearing Room 1.
A study commissioned by the U.S. Congress and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children shows that most of those arrested for possessing child pornography had images of children who had not yet reached puberty. In fact, 58 percent of those images were of children under 5, including infants.
PROTECTING FORECLOSURE VICTIMS FROM “SURPLUS FUNDS” SCAMS
Families who have lost their homes due to an inability to pay their property taxes are being targeted by individuals who want to take the little money they have left after the foreclosure sale. Legislation proposed by the Attorney General’s Office aims to protect these families from scammers and help them keep as much of their money as possible.
House Bill 2428 will be heard by the Senate Financial Institutions, Housing & Insurance Committee at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday in the J.A. Cherberg Building, Senate Hearing Room 2.
The bill is prime-sponsored by Rep. Dean Takko, D-Longview. It addresses firms and individuals who contact owners of foreclosed properties offering to obtain the surplus money on their behalf – in return for a cut. The bill places a 5 percent cap on such finder’s fees, the same amount allowed for other kinds of unclaimed funds.
LINK:
AGO 2010 Legislation
Media Contacts:
Kristin Alexander, AGO Media Relations Manager, (206) 464-6432
Janelle Guthrie, Director of Communications, (360) 586-0725