OLYMPIA – Rep. Mike Pellicciotti, D-Federal Way, has again introduced his Corporate Crime Act. If passed, the legislation, HB 1252, would dust off statutes that have not been updated since 1924. The Corporate Crime Act would penalize corporations up to $1,000,000 for serious crimes. Current law caps corporate criminal fines at just $10,000 – regardless of the severity of the crime.
“Corporations should not face a slap on the wrist for committing crimes that would send a person to up to life in prison,” said Pellicciotti. “It’s time for corporate criminal laws to catch up with the times,” said Pellicciotti, who prosecuted corporate health care fraud before joining the legislature in 2017. “It’s embarrassing that these penalties have not increased since before our legislative capitol building was built,” he said.
The Corporate Crime Act will be heard today, Monday, January 21, in the House Committee on Public Safety. It passed the House of Representatives in 2017 and 2018.