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Benton's Chelsea Harrison Act heads to governor March 4, 2008 Olympia…A bill that Sen. Don Benton, R-Vancouver, has worked tirelessly to pass since 2006, is on its way to the governor to be signed into law. The measure, Substitute Senate Bill 6184, closes a loophole in the state’s “Three Strikes You’re Out” law that allowed a man to get out of a life sentence because one of his crimes was committed in another state and didn’t match the criteria in Washington’s “Three Strikes” law. “Chelsea Harrison’s killer got out on appeal and that’s when he murdered her,” Benton said. “This should never have happened.” SSB 6184 adds to the “Three Strikes You’re Out” law any felony crime conviction in another state with a finding of sexual motivation if the minimum sentence imposed was 10 years or more. The Chelsea Harrison Act passed the Senate unanimously on Feb. 15. The House overwhelmingly approved the measure today on a vote of 92-2. “Persistence pays off,” Benton said. “This bill won’t bring Chelsea back, but it might keep another child alive.” Benton’s effort this year included adding 46 of his colleagues to the list of sponsors. "Long-term relationships and a history of working in a bipartisan manner both across the aisle and across the rotunda to solve real problems for real people is what sent this bill to the governor's desk today,” Benton said. “I wanted to put the full weight of the Senate behind my bill this year,” Benton added. “For the last two years, the Senate unanimously passed my bill as an amendment to other crime bills, but the amendments were stripped off in the House.- 30 - Additional Contact: Penny Drost (360) 786-7522 or drost.penny@leg.wa.gov |