Democrat Bill would add a sex offender to state board managing them alongside a victim

OLYMPIA, WA— Democrats of the Washington State legislature are reportedly working to require that one of the members of the State Sex Offender Policy Board be a convicted sex offender themself. Further, there is an attempt to change the name of the board to the "Sex Offense Policy Board," as to be less offensive to the community of sex offenders living in the state. 

The board, created in 2008 by the legislature, has the stated intent to "promote a coordinated and integrated response to sex offender management and create an entity to respond to issues that arise," according to the board's government website. It is comprised of prosecutors, judges, corrections and law enforcement officials, and advocates for victims and offenders.

According to The Post Millennial, ex-convict and Democratic State Rep. Tarra Simmons sponsored House Bill 2177, proposing the changes with the addition of a convicted sex offender to the board to "diversify" it along with one victim. This would require a victim of a sexual offense to sit on the same board as a sex offender.

The bill reads that the board should include "one representative with lived experience with incarceration for a sex offense, appointed by the chair of the sex offense policy board and approved by a majority vote of the board's voting membership; and (f) One representative with lived experience as the victim of a  sex offense, appointed by the chair of the sex offense policy board and approved by a majority vote of the board's voting membership."

At a hearing for the bill on January 16, the Democrat lawmaker defended the concept saying, "…while some people may have a stigma for people who have committed a sex offense, I think they have invaluable information to share that can really guide this board." Simmons cited her own past as an ex-convict who served two and a half years behind bars in 2011 after being convicted of theft, drug, and firearm crimes.

The board has been the subject of serious controversy in the past, with Chairman Brad Meryhew, an attorney, reportedly boasting of defending sex offenders on his website before pulling it down. Meryhew had also lobbied to soften the limitations placed on sex offenders as well as the community notification requirement.

An advocate representing sex offenders from a group known as "Washington Voices," named Alex Mayo told the House Committee on Community Safety, Justice, & Reentry that Simmons' bill would "increase diversity of perspectives on the Sex Offender Policy Board. For far too long we have been focused solely on punishment. Our policies also need to address healing and prevention."

Posting about the developing story to X, activist account Gays Against Groomers Washington wrote, "Well, it seems Rep Simmons is more concerned with not "stigmatizing" child predators than protecting their victims. Pretty sick! HB 2177"

One America News reported that Republican State Representative Dan Griffey vocally disapproved of the bill saying that he could not understand why the board would "advocate" for sex offenders. He added that it is unclear how a victim would react to potentially sitting on the board alongside an offender.

Jason Rants of KTTH Radio wrote that the new bill even demands "person-first” language to address how violent sex offenders are labeled. "The intent is to stop defining a sex offender by his or her crime, so they can destigmatize them," he said, noting that Whitney Hunt, a board staff member defending the legislation said the bill "incorporates recommendations the board has previously indicated its support, for regarding the use of person-first language. She claimed, “This change aligns with best practices and research, and encompasses all the individuals involved and impacted by the sex offense management system, including victims.”