‘Two-Strikes’ Sex Offender Bill Faces An Uncertain Fate

A House proposal to lock up two-time sex offenders for life faces an uncertain fate in the Senate, where budget-writers will look closely at its cost.

But the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Ida Ballasiotes, R-Mercer Island, said Thursday she is optimistic the measure will pass Senate muster.

She said a fiscal analysis shows that after 20 years, about 140 more prison beds would be needed. That would cost about $3.5 million a year, not taking inflation into account.

House Bill 2320, was passed unanimously late Wednesday with little discussion.

On Thursday, Senate Ways and Means Committee Chairwoman Nita Rinehart, D-Seattle, said she has no opinion of the measure but “will look at it carefully” in terms of its cost.

“We need to protect public safety, but we need to protect the public purse, too,” she said.

Earlier this week, Rinehart’s committee allowed a Senate “two-strikes” bill to die. That measure would have made people who prey on children subject to the law, while the House bill applies only to those who victimize adults.

The Senate bill was far more expensive, Ballasiotes said.

The House sent another sex-crime bill to the Senate on Thursday. House Bill 2225 would increase sentences for first-time sex offenders as well as for people who sexually prey on children.