OLYMPIA — Three bills introduced by a North Olympic Peninsula lawmaker, including one that limits the ability of prisoners to recover penalty fees for being denied access to public records, were signed into law last week.
Sen. Jim Hargrove, D-Hoquiam, introduced each of the bills.
State law now allows a petitioner to receive between $5 and $100 for each day he or she is denied access to records that are not exempt from the public records act. (Ninety days after the session expires, those fees will change to between zero and $100 per day.)
The bill Gov. Chris Gregoire signed last week prohibits inmates from receiving the penalty fees unless a court finds that a government agency acted in bad faith in denying a public records request.
Hargrove had said he introduced the bill because some inmates were intentionally filing burdensome records requests as a money-making scheme.
The other two bills create the Indian Child Welfare Act — aimed at preventing out-of-home placement of Native American children — and require the state Department of Social and Health Services to notify law enforcement when a convict receiving mental health treatment is released.
Hargrove represents the 24th Legislative District along with Sequim Democrats Rep. Kevin Van De Wege and Rep. Steve Tharinger. The district includes Clallam and Jefferson counties and a portion of Grays Harbor County.
One of Hargrove’s bills introduced at the end of the regular session passed the Senate last week in a 42-2 vote.
The bill, SB 5935, addresses adoption support payments for “hard to place children,” defining such children as those whom a caregiver has spent more time trying to place with an adoptive family than a “typically developing child.”
Under the legislation, payments could be authorized for ‘nonrecurring adoption expenses” such as attorneys’ fees, court costs and agency fees, and would be retroactive to Jan. 1, 1987.
It must be approved by the House and signed by Gregoire to become law.
Last week, the Senate passed the Higher Education Opportunity Act in a 32-13 vote.
The bill would allow public universities to set tuition for four years.
Hargrove voted yes.
Bills the House passed last week include:
■ SB 5921 revises social service programs, including prohibiting electronic benefit cards for being used to buy cigarettes, liquor and other items.
The bill passed 78-10 Friday; Tharinger and Van De Wege voted yes.
■ HB 2082, replaces the Disability Lifeline Program with long-term disability assistance; aged, blind and disabled; and pregnant women programs.
The bill passed 53-36 Friday; Tharinger and Van De Wege voted yes.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.