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Walsh's family court bill passes House
Grant program aims to improve family and juvenile
court operations
The state House of
Representatives today unanimously supported a measure co-sponsored by
Rep. Maureen Walsh
to improve the family and juvenile court system.
"Families and children who
enter the courts need a trained and prepared judicial system to help
them work through some tough times in their lives," said Walsh, R-Walla
Walla. "The goal of this legislation is to increase the quality and
consistency of our court system for some of the state's most sensitive
cases." If funded in
the supplemental budget,
House Bill 2822 would allow for local courts to apply for grants.
The grants could be used for training, increasing staff, improving
facilities and other improvements. Grants would require courts to commit
one judicial team to a family or juvenile case and improve case
management among other criteria.
"We've been crying out for the need for
this in many of our communities across the state, especially in some of
our rural communities," Walsh told colleagues on the floor. "This bill
would allow court systems to opt into having a separate family court. It
helps judges do their jobs better, but gives each court the option to
create their own plan based on what works best for their community."
House Bill 2822 now goes to the Senate for
further consideration.
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For more information, contact:
Sarah Lamb, Public Information
Officer - (360) 786-7720
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