The Washington House approved a stack of bills on Wednesday morning, including one making it a misdemeanor to ski in clearly marked closed hazard areas at ski resorts.
The measure received contentious debate within both parties.
Supporters argued that a criminal trespassing charge and a potential $1,000 fine would help deter behavior that causes avalanches and endanger the lives of ski patrol and search-and-rescue workers.
"This is a lot more than somebody simply skiing past a sign," said Rep. Chris Hurst, D-Enumclaw. "When you have volunteers from the neighborhood that are sometimes spending days to find someone, the lives of the people doing these operations are far more valuable than a misdemeanor crime."
But opponents say criminalizing recreational behavior is overreaching, and could result in young people unwittingly receiving blots on their permanent records.
Opponents favored a $500 fine and more harshly worded signs.
"To stick a child or a youth with a criminal record just doesn't strike me as incentivizing people not to do this," said Rep. Bob Hasegawa, D-Seattle, in opposition. "They don't understand the total consequences."
The bill applies to runs that are in-bounds at ski areas but have been intentionally marked and closed off for safety reasons.
The measure returns to the Senate for approval of amendments.
House lawmakers also approved a bill to phase out the use of copper-based antifouling paint on the bottoms of boats.
The paints in question leach copper into the water surrounding a boat's hull to prevent the growth of algae and other organisms. But copper in the water can have negative effects on aquatic life, especially salmon.
Opponents to the bill argued that there is not an adequate substitute for copper-based paint.
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But supporters say the bill gives enough time to marinas and boatyards to adjust to the new requirements and makes water safety a priority.
The bill must go back to the Senate for approval of amendments.
Continuing with a slew of measures concerning Washington public records law, the House approved a bill making public records requests by inmates ineligible for penalties unless the agency providing the records intentionally withheld part of the request.
Supporters explained that inmates sometimes make long lists of records requests in an attempt to catch public agencies in penalty fees if they forget or accidentally leave out pages of the request.
The bill makes those mistakes are ineligible for penalties unless the court finds that the agency acted in bad faith.
The measure now returns to the Senate for approval of amendments.
The House also approved a measure expanding the uses of existing accounts to provide housing for victims of human trafficking.
The bill makes it so money from the Affordable Housing for All and the Homeless Housing and Assistance accounts can also be used to house victims of human trafficking and their families.
Those accounts are paid for out of surcharges assessed by the county auditor for recording certain documents.
The measure passed unanimously out of the House and now heads to the governor for approval.
Yes skiing in hazard zones is a bad idea. but this also includes just skiing in closed zones. if you have the right gear, right skills, and know what your doing then why the hell not. for those dumbass people who go out into BC without a beacon or shovel or probe,etc this is reasonable. but why make it a crime...i personally think this is bullshit. like the article says, how much would it suck if u go to apply for a job or something but have this misdeminor on your record for skiing 30 feet to the side.
