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Gov. Chris Gregoire signed the bill in Olympia, culminating an effort that began with former Sen. Jim Clements, R-Selah, in 2007. The new law provides a statewide definition of a gang, a gang member and gang crime, as well as creating a statewide gang database. It also allows judges to increase sentences for crimes found to be gang-related, helps local jurisdictions with graffiti removal and makes it a crime for an adult gang member to recruit juveniles to commit crimes.

"Clearly this is a foundation," said Rep. Charles Ross, R-Naches, one of the bill's co-sponsors. "You start something so you can build on it."

The version of the bill that Gregoire signed did not include a provision for civil injunctions against gang members, nor did it include $10 million for a community program to fight gang recruiting. Those items were dropped late in the session because of cost and lingering concerns that the civil injunction program could lead to racial profiling. Their absence led powerful Sen. Adam Kline, D-Seattle, to pull his support of the bill, even after he had voted for it on the Senate floor.

Gregoire addressed those concerns Monday.

"I am concerned specific prevention program language was not included in the final gang bill," Gregoire said in a news release. "I believe an effective response to addressing criminal street gangs requires a prevention component."

The bill was co-sponsored by Ross and Rep. Christopher Hurst, D-Enumclaw. It was the result of a year of meetings throughout the state at which Ross and Hurst joined with law enforcement officials, prosecutors, public defenders and prevention experts to listen to testimony from people in communities affected by gangs.

That study group was established during the 2007 session as a compromise when Clements' gang crackdown bill was about to die. Rather than wait for its recommendations, the cities of Sunnyside, Yakima and Union Gap passed their own gang ordinances. That spurred the Legislature to act, Ross said.

"Without Sunnyside, Yakima and Union Gap stepping up on this, it would have been much harder," he said.

The bill's supporters next year will revisit the issue to reinstate the portions that were cut this time around, Ross said.

"We all promised that we would come back and try to rebuild those components," he said.