[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6361558,"mediaKeyId","2170571-9b3a02507088961aec4ca488c68d3657","parentId",2170571,"title","Community Safety Committee hears divided testimony on bill to expand judicial resentencing discretion","audioSeconds",1922,"startMs",9841,"endMs",1932055,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2170571-9b3a02507088961aec4ca488c68d3657&start=9&end=1932","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2170571-9b3a02507088961aec4ca488c68d3657/thumbnail_9841.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6361558/Washington/Community-Safety-Committee-hears-divided-testimony-on-bill-to-expand-judicial-resentencing-discretion","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6361558-a3f6dc2f959b0cf28bd2b262a0608b47/orig.mp4?Expires=1771184003&Signature=dCA6Ur8U-jlioI4AOPrqB2Xv7st~0zR9dXwxwh~hIGwBGs7gw-dP3HaUjSJIhRIvHF~QCH8zgYflrMWZOrZ-PZBW9PT9roQd31EQWP0yOX~o7Mttp4lAy6i7qJ~mJA1iwOg-~ho6TMJUhAGFY3nrJdI0PStImrwfHScMift3mE8o6~t-3VBo5jxuUQUcxjZrxGv8GR7SLCzHWmgXZRUeC~fE3-RYd5wlJHINGxXmz0lZr-jao0TBiBe-rwVDaOUKLcMYNYTZqoAKiRxh3e~6Yjl4f~pprl4GzI3NvzEfLRb088d2x0qKR2C2hqkx31kzHVCnsdSNTaa5Je4YDzlneA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","House Community Safety","date","2025-01-30T00:00:00Z","article","The House Community Safety Committee heard testimony Jan. 30 on House Bill 1125, the Judicial Discretion Act, which would broaden judicial authority to consider resentencing petitions for people serving long terms. The committee allotted about 30 minutes for continuation of the public hearing and limited speakers to two minutes each.

Supporters said the bill would allow judges to weigh rehabilitation and survivors' perspectives; opponents warned the proposal could retraumatize victims and strain already overworked prosecutors' offices. Annie Nickel, who identified herself as a member of Scribe Survivors for Safety and Justice, told the committee her family’s loss shaped her view: “The JDA puts us on that path,” Nickel said, describing a shift from “mass punishment” toward “prevention over mass punishment.”

The bill’s backers included former victims, victim-advocacy organizations and people who served long sentences. Kim Gordon, a former public defender who testified for several organizations, argued the current resentencing process is opaque and places sole discretion with prosecutors: “It moves decisions that currently occur in the dark out into the light,” Gordon said, urging judicial review to increase transparency. Aswad Thomas, vice president of the Alliance for Safety and Justice and national director of Scribe Survivors for Safety and Justice, said a 2024 Alliance survey finds many victims prefer rehabilitation-focused responses: by “nearly a 2 to 1 margin, victims prefer the justice focused more on rehabilitation,” Thomas said, and asked the committee to pass the bill.

Opposition testimony came from prosecutors’ representatives and victim advocates who said resentencing reviews can reopen wounds and divert scarce prosecutorial resources. Russ Brown, speaking for prosecutors, warned that mandating resentencing reviews would require prosecutors to revisit many old files and could delay present-day casework: “By ordering individuals to be resentenced, what you are saying is you are putting the priority of individuals who committed harm in their communities many years ago above the victims who today are unable to receive any sense of justice,” Brown said. Tiffany Atrill, a former victim advocate, described the effect of resentencing on families who must relive the original crimes: “I have seen firsthand the retraumatization that it causes,” she said, reading a family’s account of having to relive their loss after a resentencing.

Others who testified described personal experience with long sentences and rehabilitation. Jacob Ivan Schmidt, director of Justice Solutions and a recipient of a prior resentencing, said he and several others granted resentencing had not recidivated and described judicial review as a careful, case-by-case process. Anthony Powers, who said he became a mentor and educator after incarceration, urged judges be allowed “to review things” and cited his own path to rehabilitation.

Committee members asked witnesses about practical effects and safeguards. Representative Davis and others pressed prosecutors’ witnesses on whether victims’ views are monolithic; several witnesses acknowledged victims have diverse perspectives. Committee staff reminded those not called to testify that written comments would be accepted.

The public hearing on HB 1125 closed after the allotted time; the committee moved to an executive session to consider other bills. No committee vote on HB 1125 occurred during the Jan. 30 meeting. Committee members said they will continue to receive written comments and may weigh possible amendments that would add victim supports, clarify standards for judicial review, or limit eligibility.

The committee’s hearing record remains open for written submissions, and witnesses who were not called were told they have one day to submit written comments.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Community Safety - 1/30/2025 8:00 AM","oneSentenceSummary","The House Community Safety Committee heard testimony Jan. 30 on House Bill 1125, the Judicial Discretion Act, which would broaden judicial authority to consider resentencing petitions for people serving long terms.","taxTitle","Community Safety, Justice, & Reentry, House of Representatives, Legislative Sessions, Washington","taxId",20257,"location","Washington","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6361553,"Committee advances bills on vehicular homicide, prison labor and youth-sentencing review; one bill deferred",2565,1907721,4472841,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2170571-9b3a02507088961aec4ca488c68d3657&start=1907&end=4472","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2170571-9b3a02507088961aec4ca488c68d3657/thumbnail_1907721.jpg","/articles/6361553/Washington/Committee-advances-bills-on-vehicular-homicide-prison-labor-and-youth-sentencing-review-one-bill-deferred","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6361553-7d9393c9ea28281712f57da7db3fb8e7/orig.mp4?Expires=1771184003&Signature=M4tL0CA6JnU9Z9-uopYKa9LXW6l4DrDamwFEsJcRw6bNCSmj4sOi-8KdafXy0a3dPsSClZklK7W1sgtvEBVi8WsXkrs3PsoiB1fL8BZ1L6hMLRMxXR~ebU2m65znS-suye7P1Fy-xgfnxEwD9Y0VqLMHuLHmmPW-cQMqo995xrfpcNu-gC8PbHKYwc1-uGof18QXZPmpkykpgv7PV6UtZYjDKEiizYe2f1ZTdPbXHbiWOoUgvqx9c-1KjplKhuV6oxVoQjWYyVt-LTVde672WzcWnuPOF8BOx83qOIomAS5v2QnDL2aO9uKox0TcVes4Wpg4A2egrfDhPH96yFjjRw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The House Community Safety Committee met in executive session Jan. 30 and took formal action on three bills, advancing measures on vehicular homicide, correctional-industry labor and mid-sentence review for people convicted of crimes committed under age 21.

The committee reported out substitute House Bill 1101, which modifies how vehicular homicide is categorized, after adopting two amendments clarifying legislative intent and narrowing a “most serious offense” designation. The chair said the substitute was reported out “with a due pass recommendation” and recorded that “all members are present, all members are voting in the affirmative.”

House Bill 1233, which would make participation in certain correctional-industry work programs voluntary and establish a $1 minimum wage for class 2 and 3 prison industries, was also reported out with a due pass recommendation. The committee vote was 6 ayes, 3 nays. Supporters said the bill ends coercive labor practices and protects incarcerated people from being forced into eight‑hour workdays; opponents, including some committee members, said requiring inmate labor to help maintain facilities is routine and a source of revenue for programming.

House Bill 1317, which would permit certain people who committed crimes under age 21 to petition the Indeterminate Sentence Review Board (ISRB) for early release after serving specified portions of their terms, was reported out with a due pass recommendation by a 5‑aye, 4‑nay vote. Committee discussion highlighted competing concerns: supporters argued the bill restores a parole-like second look for youthful offenders and can bring credible messengers back into communities; opponents warned the change could undercut victims’ expectations and create public-safety risks if not tightly constrained.

The committee deferred action on House Bill 1110 and took no vote on it during the Jan. 30 session. Committee staff read bill summaries and members discussed several amendments during the executive session.

Votes at a glance

• Substitute House Bill 1101 (vehicular homicide): reported out with due pass. Committee adopted Amendment PAT 275 (intent: designate vehicular homicide as a violent offense) and Amendment PAT 273 (excludes certain vehicular homicides from the definition of most serious offense). Chair recorded unanimous support; the record states all members present voted in favor.

• House Bill 1233 (correctional-industry work programs; $1 minimum wage for class 2/3 industries): reported out with due pass. Committee roll-call: Goodman (aye), Simmons (aye), Graham (nay), Griffey (nay), Burnett (nay without recommendation), Davis (aye), Faribhar (aye), Fosse (aye), Obraz (aye). Tally reported by clerk: 6 ayes, 3 nays.

• House Bill 1317 (ISRB petitions for people convicted under age 21): reported out with due pass. Committee roll-call: Goodman (aye), Simmons (aye), Graham (nay), Griffey (nay), Burnett (nay), Davis (nay), Faribhar (aye), Fosse (aye), Obraz (aye). Clerk tally: 5 ayes, 4 nays. A proposed substitute that included additional victim‑support and training provisions was offered and later withdrawn by the substitute’s sponsor; the underlying bill was the measure reported out.

What committee members said

Supporters of HB 1101 argued that classifying vehicular homicide as a violent offense aligns the statute with the seriousness of deaths caused by motor vehicle misconduct. Opponents worried about mandatory “strike” consequences tied to a “most serious offense” label; an adopted amendment narrowed that designation.

Debate over HB 1233 split on whether prison work should be voluntary. The bill’s sponsor said it prevents coerced labor and protects incarcerated people from punitive infractions for refusing eight‑hour work assignments; critics said facility upkeep and revenue for programming rely on inmate labor and that reasonable expectations to help maintain a facility are not equivalent to slavery.

On HB 1317, members expressed interest in adding safeguards: several suggested expanded victim notice, funding for victim support, restorative-justice alternatives, training for ISRB members, and raising the evidentiary standard for release petitions. The substitute, which the sponsor later withdrew to allow further work, contained many of those elements.

Next steps

Substitute House Bill 1101, House Bill 1233 and House Bill 1317 were reported out of committee with due pass recommendations and will move to the next stage of consideration. House Bill 1110 was deferred. Committee staff said members will reconvene and continue work on amendments and stakeholder consultations.","The House Community Safety Committee advanced three bills in executive session Jan. 30: a substitute to reclassify vehicular homicide, a bill to make certain prison work programs voluntary at a $1 minimum wage, and a bill to let people convicted for crimes committed under age 21 petition the ISRB for early release.","actionData","errors"]

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Community Safety Committee hears divided testimony on bill to expand judicial resentencing discretion

Committee advances bills on vehicular homicide, prison labor and youth-sentencing review; one bill deferred