Wash. House and Senate In Fight Over Bail Constitutional Amendment

By Austin Jenkins | Feb. 25, 2010 3:47 p.m. | Updated: June 16, 2010 11:56 p.m. | Olympia, WA

The Washington House and Senate are at loggerheads over a constitutional amendment to restrict bail. This is a marquee issue this session because of the Lakewood police officer murders last November. A bipartisan pair of Senators Thursday unveiled a compromise proposal. But it was immediately rejected by the House. Olympia Correspondent Austin Jenkins has details.
The Washington House has already approved its version. Judges would be allowed to deny bail in caes where the defendant faces possible life in prison. Now the top Democrat and Republican on the Senate judiciary committee are proposing a narrower constitutional amendment. It would allow judges to withhold bail only in cases where the accused intentionally harmed or killed someone and faces life in prison.Mike Carrell: “It is a balancing act because constitutional amendments are very serious things. They are not something that should be done lightly.That's Republican Senator Mike Carrell who represents Lakewood where the four murdered police officers worked. But Republican State Representative Mike Hope, a Seattle police officer, says the Senate version is unacceptable.Mike Hope: “If somebody walked in here with a bomb and if the bomb didn't detonate and kill anybody or hurt anybody, that would not cover this.”Hope says law enforcement organizations in Washington are solidly behind the broader version. The challenge now: finding a compromise that can win a two-thirds vote in both chambers. I'm Austin Jenkins in Olympia.

© 2010 Northwest News Network

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