9.94A.142  <<  TOC  >> 9.94A.150

Chapter 9.94A RCW
Sentencing Reform Act of 1981
Applicable to Crimes Committed From July 25, 1999 to March 29, 2000

072599_032900


RCW 9.94A.145
Legal financial obligations.

(1) Whenever a person is convicted of a felony, the court may order the payment of a legal financial obligation as part of the sentence. The court must on either the judgment and sentence or on a subsequent order to pay, designate the total amount of a legal financial obligation and segregate this amount among the separate assessments made for restitution, costs, fines, and other assessments required by law. On the same order, the court is also to set a sum that the offender is required to pay on a monthly basis towards satisfying the legal financial obligation. If the court fails to set the offender monthly payment amount, the department shall set the amount. Upon receipt of an offender's monthly payment, after restitution is satisfied, the county clerk shall distribute the payment proportionally among all other fines, costs, and assessments imposed, unless otherwise ordered by the court.

(2) If the court determines that the offender, at the time of sentencing, has the means to pay for the cost of incarceration, the court may require the offender to pay for the cost of incarceration at a rate of fifty dollars per day of incarceration. Payment of other court-ordered financial obligations, including all legal financial obligations and costs of supervision shall take precedence over the payment of the cost of incarceration ordered by the court. All funds recovered from offenders for the cost of incarceration in the county jail shall be remitted to the county and the costs of incarceration in a prison shall be remitted to the department of corrections.

(3) The court may add to the judgment and sentence or subsequent order to pay a statement that a notice of payroll deduction is to be immediately issued. If the court chooses not to order the immediate issuance of a notice of payroll deduction at sentencing, the court shall add to the judgment and sentence or subsequent order to pay a statement that a notice of payroll deduction may be issued or other income-withholding action may be taken, without further notice to the offender if a monthly court-ordered legal financial obligation payment is not paid when due, and an amount equal to or greater than the amount payable for one month is owed.

If a judgment and sentence or subsequent order to pay does not include the statement that a notice of payroll deduction may be issued or other income-withholding action may be taken if a monthly legal financial obligation payment is past due, the department may serve a notice on the offender stating such requirements and authorizations. Service shall be by personal service or any form of mail requiring a return receipt.

(4) All legal financial obligations that are ordered as a result of a conviction for a felony, may also be enforced in the same manner as a judgment in a civil action by the party or entity to whom the legal financial obligation is owed. Restitution collected through civil enforcement must be paid through the registry of the court and must be distributed proportionately according to each victim's loss when there is more than one victim. The judgment and sentence shall identify the party or entity to whom restitution is owed so that the state, party, or entity may enforce the judgment. If restitution is ordered pursuant to RCW 9.94A.140(3) or 9.94A.142(3) to a victim of rape of a child and the victim's child born from the rape, the Washington state child support registry shall be identified as the party to whom payments must be made. Restitution obligations arising from the rape of a child in the first, second, or third degree that result in the pregnancy of the victim may be enforced for the time periods provided under RCW 9.94A.140(3) and 9.94A.142(3). All other legal financial obligations may be enforced at any time during the ten-year period following the offender's release from total confinement or within ten years of entry of the judgment and sentence, whichever period is longer. Prior to the expiration of the initial ten-year period, the superior court may extend the criminal judgment an additional ten years for payment of legal financial obligations including crime victims' assessments. If jurisdiction under the criminal judgment is extended, the department is not responsible for supervision of the offender during the subsequent period. Independent of the department, the party or entity to whom the legal financial obligation is owed shall have the authority to use any other remedies available to the party or entity to collect the legal financial obligation.

(5) In order to assist the court in setting a monthly sum that the offender must pay during the period of supervision, the offender is required to report to the department for purposes of preparing a recommendation to the court. When reporting, the offender is required, under oath, to truthfully and honestly respond to all questions concerning present, past, and future earning capabilities and the location and nature of all property or financial assets. The offender is further required to bring any and all documents as requested by the department.

(6) After completing the investigation, the department shall make a report to the court on the amount of the monthly payment that the offender should be required to make towards a satisfied legal financial obligation.

(7) During the period of supervision, the department may make a recommendation to the court that the offender's monthly payment schedule be modified so as to reflect a change in financial circumstances. If the department sets the monthly payment amount, the department may modify the monthly payment amount without the matter being returned to the court. Also, during the period of supervision, the offender may be required at the request of the department to report to the department for the purposes of reviewing the appropriateness of the collection schedule for the legal financial obligation. During this reporting, the offender is required under oath to truthfully and honestly respond to all questions concerning earning capabilities and the location and nature of all property or financial assets. Also, the offender is required to bring any and all documents as requested by the department in order to prepare the collection schedule.

(8) After the judgment and sentence or payment order is entered, the department shall, for any period of supervision collect the legal financial obligation from the offender. Any amount collected by the department shall be remitted daily to the county clerk for the purposes of disbursements. The department is authorized to accept credit cards as payment for a legal financial obligation, and any costs incurred related to accepting credit card payments shall be the responsibility of the offender.

(9) The department or any obligee of the legal financial obligation may seek a mandatory wage assignment for the purposes of obtaining satisfaction for the legal financial obligation pursuant to RCW 9.94A.2001.

(10) The requirement that the offender pay a monthly sum towards a legal financial obligation constitutes a condition or requirement of a sentence and the offender is subject to the penalties as provided in RCW 9.94A.200 (for noncompliance).

(11) The county clerk shall provide the department with individualized monthly billings for each offender with an unsatisfied legal financial obligation and shall provide the department with notice of payments by such offenders no less frequently than weekly.

(12) The department may arrange for the collection of unpaid legal financial obligations through the county clerk, or through another entity if the clerk does not assume responsibility for collection. The costs for collection services shall be paid by the offender.

[1999 c 196 § 6; prior: 1997 c 121 § 5; 1997 c 52 § 3; 1995 c 231 § 3; 1991 c 93 § 2; 1989 c 252 § 3. Recodified in 2001 as RCW 9.94A.760.]

NOTES:

Construction -- Short title -- 1999 c 196: See RCW 72.09.904 and 72.09.905.

Severability -- 1999 c 196: See note following RCW 9.94A.010.

Retroactive application -- Captions not law -- 1991 c 93: See notes following RCW 9.94A.200005.

Purpose -- Prospective application -- Effective dates -- Severability -- 1989 c 252: See notes following RCW 9.94A.030.

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