1047

AN ACT Relating to restitution; amending RCW 9.94A.140, 9.94A.142, 9.94A.145, and 4.16.020; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1. RCW 9.94A.140 and 1994 c 271 s 601 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) If restitution is ordered, the court shall determine the amount of restitution due at the sentencing hearing or ((~~within sixty days~~)) at a hearing set by the court. The court shall order the defendant to pay the full amount of restitution due. The court shall then set a minimum monthly payment that the offender is required to make towards the restitution that is ordered. The court should take into consideration the total amount of the restitution owed, the offender's present, past, and future ability to pay, as well as any assets that the offender may have. During the period of supervision, the community corrections officer may examine the offender to determine if there has been a change in circumstances that warrants an amendment of the monthly payment schedule. The community corrections officer may recommend a change to the schedule of payment and shall inform the court of the recommended change and the reasons for the change. The sentencing court may then reset the monthly minimum payments based on the report from the community corrections officer of the change in circumstances. Restitution ordered by a court pursuant to a criminal conviction shall be based on easily ascertainable damages for injury to or loss of property, actual expenses incurred for treatment for injury to persons, and lost wages resulting from injury. Restitution shall not include reimbursement for damages for mental anguish, pain and suffering, or other intangible losses, but may include the costs of counseling reasonably related to the offense. The amount of restitution shall not exceed double the amount of the offender's gain or the victim's loss from the commission of the crime. For the purposes of this section, the offender shall remain under the court's jurisdiction for a maximum term of ten years following the offender's release from total confinement or ten years subsequent to the entry of the judgment and sentence, whichever period is longer. The portion of the sentence concerning restitution may be modified as to amount, terms and conditions during the ten-year period, regardless of the expiration of the offender's term of community supervision and regardless of the statutory maximum for the crime. The offender's compliance with the restitution shall be supervised by the department.

(2) Restitution may be ordered whenever the offender is convicted of an offense which results in injury to any person or damage to or loss of property. In addition, restitution may be ordered to pay for an injury, loss, or damage if the offender pleads guilty to a lesser offense or fewer offenses and agrees with the prosecutor's recommendation that the offender be required to pay restitution to a victim of an offense or offenses which are not prosecuted pursuant to a plea agreement.

(3) In addition to any sentence that may be imposed, a defendant who has been found guilty of an offense involving fraud or other deceptive practice or an organization which has been found guilty of any such offense may be ordered by the sentencing court to give notice of the conviction to the class of persons or to the sector of the public affected by the conviction or financially interested in the subject matter of the offense by mail, by advertising in designated areas or through designated media, or by other appropriate means.

(4) This section does not limit civil remedies or defenses available to the victim or defendant. The court shall identify in the judgment and sentence the victim or victims entitled to restitution and what amount is due each victim. The named victims may enforce the court-ordered restitution in the same manner as a judgment in a civil action.

Sec. 2. RCW 9.94A.142 and 1994 c 271 s 602 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) When restitution is ordered, the court shall determine the amount of restitution due at the sentencing hearing or ((~~within sixty days~~)) at a hearing set by the court. The court shall order the defendant to pay the full amount of restitution due. The court shall then set a minimum monthly payment that the offender is required to make towards the restitution that is ordered. The court should take into consideration the total amount of the restitution owed, the offender's present, past, and future ability to pay, as well as any assets that the offender may have. During the period of supervision, the community corrections officer may examine the offender to determine if there has been a change in circumstances that warrants an amendment of the monthly payment schedule. The community corrections officer may recommend a change to the schedule of payment and shall inform the court of the recommended change and the reasons for the change. The sentencing court may then reset the monthly minimum payments based on the report from the community corrections officer of the change in circumstances. Restitution ordered by a court pursuant to a criminal conviction shall be based on easily ascertainable damages for injury to or loss of property, actual expenses incurred for treatment for injury to persons, and lost wages resulting from injury. Restitution shall not include reimbursement for damages for mental anguish, pain and suffering, or other intangible losses, but may include the costs of counseling reasonably related to the offense. The amount of restitution shall not exceed double the amount of the offender's gain or the victim's loss from the commission of the crime. For the purposes of this section, the offender shall remain under the court's jurisdiction for a maximum term of ten years following the offender's release from total confinement or ten years subsequent to the entry of the judgment and sentence, whichever period is longer. The portion of the sentence concerning restitution may be modified as to amount, terms and conditions during the ten-year period, regardless of the expiration of the offender's term of community supervision and regardless of the statutory maximum for the crime. The offender's compliance with the restitution shall be supervised by the department.

(2) Restitution shall be ordered whenever the offender is convicted of an offense which results in injury to any person or damage to or loss of property unless extraordinary circumstances exist which make restitution inappropriate in the court's judgment and the court sets forth such circumstances in the record. In addition, restitution shall be ordered to pay for an injury, loss, or damage if the offender pleads guilty to a lesser offense or fewer offenses and agrees with the prosecutor's recommendation that the offender be required to pay restitution to a victim of an offense or offenses which are not prosecuted pursuant to a plea agreement.

(4) This section does not limit civil remedies or defenses available to the victim, survivors of the victim, or defendant. The court shall identify in the judgment and sentence the victim or victims entitled to restitution and what amount is due each victim. The named victims may enforce the court-ordered restitution in the same manner as a judgment in a civil action.

(5) This section shall apply to offenses committed after July 1, 1985.

Sec. 3. RCW 9.94A.145 and 1991 c 93 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

(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. The judgment and sentence shall identify the victim or victims to whom restitution is owed so that the victims may enforce the judgment. These 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. Independent of the department, the party or entity to whom the legal financial obligation is owed shall have the authority to utilize 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 be authorized to 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.

Sec. 4. RCW 4.16.020 and 1994 c 189 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:

The period prescribed for the commencement of actions shall be as follows:

Within ten years:

(1) For actions for the recovery of real property, or for the recovery of the possession thereof; and no action shall be maintained for such recovery unless it appears that the plaintiff, his or her ancestor, predecessor or grantor was seized or possessed of the premises in question within ten years before the commencement of the action.

(2) For an action upon a judgment or decree of any court of the United States, or of any state or territory within the United States, or of any territory or possession of the United States outside the boundaries thereof, or of any extraterritorial court of the United States, unless the ten-year period is extended in accordance with RCW 6.17.020(3).

(3) Of the eighteenth birthday of the youngest child named in the order for whom support is ordered for an action to collect past due child support that has accrued under an order entered after July 23, 1989, by any of the above-named courts or that has accrued under an administrative order as defined in RCW 74.20A.020(6), which is issued after July 23, 1989.

(4) For actions upon a judgment and sentence entered in a criminal case for restitution and other court-ordered legal financial obligations as defined in RCW 9.94A.030.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. This act is intended to be a clarification of existing law and shall apply retroactively.