Notice of Committee Passage for Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5226. PL - Update: Passed Legislature

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ESSB 5226.PL, titled AN ACT Relating to the suspension of licenses for traffic infractions, has been passed by the Senate Committee on Law & Justice. The Office of Financial Management has identified this bill as requiring a ten-year projection of increased cost to the taxpayers or affected fee payers.

Ten-year projection:

Fiscal Year		$1 license fee increase
2022		$
2023		625,300
2024		1,148,200
2025		1,174,900
2026		1,250,100
2027		1,324,900
2028		1,182,900
2029		1,170,100
2030		1,232,700
2031		1,258,100
Total:		$ 10,367,200

Admin Office of the Courts:

Indeterminate, but expected to be significant. 

Assumptions

•           This bill would redirect a portion of the $24 legislative assessment to the newly created DLTSA. 

•           Currently, $8.50 is distributed to the state General Fund. This bill would change that distribution to $12.50, with $8.50 distributed to the state General Fund and $4.00 distributed to the DLTSA. 

•           The bill also adds a new $2 assessment to each traffic infraction, directing this revenue to the DLTSA. 

•           Section 1(2)(a)(ii) would provide that an option would be available for a person to admit responsibility for an infraction and attest that they do not have the current ability to pay the infraction in full. Under this option, the person must receive information on how to obtain a payment plan from the court. It is unknown how many persons would select this option. 

•           Maximum fines are not always ordered, not all fines are collected in full, and fines sometimes take years to collect. 

Revenue impacts are indeterminate, but for illustrative purposes the following example is provided. 

The current distribution of the $20 legislative assessment (RCW 46.63.110(8)(a)) provides for $8.50 distributed to the state General Fund, with the residual distributed to the state and local governments as provided by RCW’s 3.46.120, 3.50.100, and 35.20.220 (68% remains local, 32% distributed to the state). This bill would increase the legislative assessment to $24. This bill would increase the initial distribution to the state General Fund to $12.50, with $8.50 distributed to the State General Fund and $4.00 distributed to the DLTSA created by this bill. The following table displays this impact, using 100 infraction filings as a proxy for revenue impact.

Ten-year projection prepared in consultation with the following agencies:

Admin Office of the Courts
Department of Licensing

The following legislators voted do pass:

Senator Jeannie Darneille
Democrat
(360) 786-7652
DARNEILL_JE@leg.wa.gov

Senator Jamie Pedersen
Democrat
(360) 786-7628
jamie.pedersen@leg.wa.gov

Senator Patty Kuderer
Democrat
(360) 786-7694
patty.kuderer@leg.wa.gov

Senator Manka Dhingra
Democrat
(360) 786-7672
Manka.Dhingra@leg.wa.gov

Senator Jesse Salomon
Democrat
(360) 786-7662
SALOMON_JE@leg.wa.gov


The following legislators voted do not pass:

Senator Mike Padden
Republican
(360) 786-7606
Mike.Padden@leg.wa.gov

Senator Jim McCune
Republican
(360) 786-7602
jim.mccune@leg.wa.gov

Senator Jeff Holy
Republican
(360) 786-7610
jeff.holy@leg.wa.gov

Senator Keith Wagoner
Republican
(360) 786-7676
keith.wagoner@leg.wa.gov



Legislative Bill Information Website: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/

Initiative 960 Website: http://www.ofm.wa.gov/tax/default.asp