Current through the 2024 Regular Session
Section 43.10.300 - Hate crime advisory working group(1) The office of the attorney general must, by September 1, 2019, coordinate and convene a multidisciplinary hate crime advisory working group for the purpose of developing strategies toward raising awareness of and appropriate responses to hate crime offenses and hate incidents. The working group must undertake its work with a view towards restorative justice.(2) The group's membership must include: (a) Four legislators, one appointed by each of the two largest caucuses of the senate and one appointed by each of the two largest caucuses of the house of representatives;(b) Six members appointed by the governor from organizations representing groups protected under RCW 9A.36.080;(c) One member appointed by the governor representing law enforcement;(d) One member appointed by the governor representing prosecutors;(e) One member appointed by the governor that is from a local organization with national expertise legislating against, tracking, and responding to hate crimes and hate incidents;(f) One member appointed by the governor representing K-12 educators; and(g) One member representing the attorney general's office.(3) The work [working] group must develop recommended best practices for: (a) Preventing hate crimes and hate incidents, especially those occurring in public K-12 schools and in the workplace, through public awareness and antibias campaigns;(b) Increasing identification and reporting of hate crimes and hate incidents, including recommendations for standardization of data collection and reporting;(c) Strengthening law enforcement, prosecutorial, and public K-12 school responses to hate crime offenses and hate incidents through enhanced training and other measures; and(d) Supporting victims of hate crime offenses and hate incidents, and in particular, ways of strengthening law enforcement, health care, and educational collaboration with, and victim connection to, community advocacy and support organizations.(4) The working group is encouraged to solicit participation and feedback from nonmember groups and individuals with relevant experience, as needed.(5) The working group must hold at least four meetings. By July 1, 2020, the office of the attorney general must report the working group's recommendations to the governor and the legislature, in compliance with RCW 43.01.036.