Gregoire signs bill that strengthens child neglect laws

OLYMPIA – Gov. Christine Gregoire on Tuesday signed a bill that was written in response to the starvation deaths of two young boys in Kent.

The Justice and Raiden Act strengthens laws against child neglect and gives state social workers more power to intervene when they suspect chronic neglect or substance abuse problems by a parent.

The bill was named for 16-month-old Justice and 6-week-old Raiden Robinson, who were found dead of malnutrition and dehydration on Nov. 14 in their Kent apartment, south of Seattle. Police said they found their mother, Marie Robinson, passed out drunk in a bedroom littered with more than 300 beer cans.

Robinson pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder and criminal mistreatment and is awaiting trial.

An independent investigation into the Robinson case concluded that state child protection workers ignored or mishandled complaints about the mother and her drinking problems over several years.

The bill Gregoire signed defines child neglect more clearly in state law and gives state workers more power to step in when they believe a child is being neglected. It also directs social workers to pay more attention to parents’ substance abuse problems and to patterns of chronic neglect.

Gregoire also signed a bill toughening penalties against spyware – programs that secretly monitor what you do on your computer. The new spyware law will allow the state attorney general to seek damages up to $100,000 per violation or actual damages, whichever is greater.

Washington courts can choose to triple the damages for companies or people who spread spyware, up to $2 million.