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Senate approves Ross' gang bill
Big win for Washington citizens, Ross says
House Bill 2712, also known as the anti-gang bill, passed the
Senate 46-3 today.
Rep. Charles Ross,
champion and co-sponsor of the bill, was glad the bill received strong
bipartisan support.
"This is a very important piece of legislation -- not only for my
community, but for many communities around the state," said Ross,
R-Naches. "This was the culmination of lots of time, effort,
cooperation, as well as the voices of citizens from around the state.
The citizens who came to testify before us in the task force should feel
justified that their opinions and experiences were heard."
The anti-gang bill would provide a statewide definition of a gang, gang
member and gang crime, as well as create a statewide gang database,
which Ross said will be helpful for law enforcement. Under the bill,
gang members who recruit juveniles for their crimes would receive
increased sentencing. The bill would also aid local jurisdictions with
graffiti removal and it would provide funding to help with additional
law enforcement resources in fighting criminal gang activity.
"The bill is still very
much alive, and I'm glad to see that the majority of it was agreed upon
by the Senate," Ross said.
The bill was amended by the Senate to remove the authority for local
jurisdictions to use civil anti-gang injunctions. The anti-gang
injunctions would have allowed local jurisdictions a legal way to
prevent established gang members from associating with each other within
designated 'safe zones.'
"I'm disappointed to see the amendment remove the civil anti-gang
injunctions, but I'll be coming back next year to continue work on these
issues," Ross said. "This was a collaborative process, and we worked
very hard with many stakeholders to ensure the appropriate precautions
were in place to protect civil liberties."
The bill passed the House Feb. 18. It will now return to the House for
consideration of the amendment adopted by the Senate.
"There are many people in
this state who live in fear of gangs every day," Ross said. "I have
thought of them throughout the entire process. I will continue to fight
to give them the hope and help we promised."
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For more information, contact:
Sarah Lamb, Public Information
Officer - (360) 786-7720
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