Dems pledge to push tough sex-crime bills

OLYMPIA — House Democrats pledged Thursday to pass seven sex-crime bills suggested by Gov. Christine Gregoire's task force and promised to work with minority Republicans on ramping up sex-crime laws even further. Jumping on a politically touchy issue that could resurface during the fall elections, Democratic leaders said they will continue to build on a foundation of strong sex-crime policies, including involuntary civil commitments and tough criminal sentences.

Lawmakers also pledged to put money behind their demands for increased police emphasis on sex offenders — something that hasn't always been done in the past.

"We need to make sure our laws are tough, but that they're tough laws that can actually be used by our police and prosecutors," said House Majority Leader Lynn Kessler, D-Hoquiam.

The proposals stem from a sex-offender-policy task force led by Kitsap County Prosecutor Russ Hauge. Gregoire convened the panel of experts after the kidnapping and killing of a 12-year-old Tacoma girl in July.

The largest piece of sex-offender spending discussed Thursday is Gregoire's request for a $5 million grant program to pay police to conduct in-person visits with sex offenders. Low-risk offenders would get annual checkups under the plan, with the highest-risk sex criminals being seen four times a year.