A bill sponsored by Reps. Mike Hope and Chris Hurst to prevent child abuse and review sentencing of child abusers passed out of the House Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Committee without opposition.

In a public hearing, Eryk Woodruff's parents told the story of how their little boy was beaten nearly to death by a family friend. They testified about the dramatic changes their family has been through since then. The now three-year-old has permanent brain damage, cannot walk, must attend therapy several times a week and just recently learned again how to eat.

Less than two years ago, as the toddler lay in a coma at Harborview, police detectives investigated the case as a homicide, as doctors believed the little boy would not survive.

This year, Eryk's parents e-mailed their state representative, freshman Republican Mike Hope, and asked for his help to change the law to prevent this from happening to other children.

"I knew something had to be done to protect other children from child abusers like the one who nearly killed Eryk," Hope said. "The state's greatest duty is to protect its people, and this proposal would help protect our most vulnerable: our children."

House Bill 2279 would require a review of sentencing guidelines for child abusers by the state Sentencing Guideline Commission. Hope worked on the proposal with committee chair Hurst.

"I'm grateful to Chris for his work on this important piece of legislation," Hope said. "Our collaborative efforts prove that bipartisanship is alive and well in the Legislature."

The bill will now go to the House Rules Committee for consideration to be placed on the floor calendar for a final House vote.

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