wa-law.org > bill > 2023-24 > HB 1333 > Substitute Bill
The domestic violent extremism commission is established within the office of the attorney general for the purpose of establishing a comprehensive public health and community-based framework for responding to domestic violent extremism. It is the intent of this section to build upon the research and findings of the domestic terrorism study assembled by the state attorney general in 2022.
The commission must consist of the following members:
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;
A representative of the governor's office appointed by the governor;
A representative from the attorney general's office;
A representative with expertise in public health, appointed by the state attorney general;
Six representatives from organizations representing groups protected under RCW 9A.36.080, appointed by the state attorney general, which may include but is not limited to the following:
A representative from the black/African American community;
A representative from the Muslim community;
A representative from the Jewish community;
A representative from the Asian or Asian American community;
A representative from the Sikh community;
A representative from the Latino/a/x community;
A representative from the LGBTQ community;
ix. A representative from the general immigrant/refugee community; and
A representative from the African community;
The commission must extend an invitation to participate in the commission to the following:
A representative from the federal bureau of investigation;
A representative from the United States department of homeland security; and
A representative from a federally recognized tribe.
The commission is encouraged to solicit participation and feedback from nonmember groups and individuals with relevant experience, as needed.
The commission shall hold its first meeting before December 31, 2023. The commission shall elect a chair from among its members at the first meeting. The election of the chair must be by a majority vote of the commission members who are present at the meeting.
Legislative members of the commission are reimbursed for travel expenses in accordance with RCW 44.04.120. Nonlegislative members are not entitled to be reimbursed for travel expenses if they are elected officials or are participating on behalf of an employer, governmental entity, or other organization. Any reimbursement for other nonlegislative members is subject to reimbursement allowed under chapter 43.03 RCW.
The office of the attorney general shall administer and provide staff support to the commission, which shall include arranging meetings and developing meeting agendas.
The duties of the commission include, but are not limited to:
Identifying community-led and evidence-based solutions to combat disinformation and misinformation, address early signs of radicalization, and develop public health-style responses;
Evaluating any future data-tracking recommendations around domestic violent extremism, including how data is collected, what triggers data collection, and how to ensure data is not disproportionately used against black, indigenous, and people of color communities or other communities; and
Evaluating current legal tools, both civil and criminal, and making recommendations for potential new legislation and regulations to address domestic violent extremism.
To achieve its objectives in subsection (7) of this section, the attorney general, with input and review of the commission, must propose the following in a report, subject to the requirements of subsection (10) of this section:
Specific steps to adopt and fund a public health-style and community-based framework for proactively responding to domestic violent extremism; and
Specific steps to improve, standardize, and add transparency to data collection and reporting on incidents of domestic violent extremism.
To achieve its objectives in subsection (7) of this section, the attorney general must publish a review, with the input and review of the commission, of legal options available under existing law and regulations to address domestic violent extremism and potential new legislation and regulations. The review must be guided by the recommendations in the attorney general's 2022 domestic terrorism study.
The commission must hold at least four meetings. The attorney general must publish a report of the commission's recommendations, as set forth in subsections (8) and (9) of this section, with the input and review of the commission, to the governor and the legislature, in compliance with RCW 43.01.036, no later than August 30, 2025.
This section expires September 1, 2025.