AN
ACT Relating to the processing of traffic offenses by district and municipal
courts; amending RCW 7.68.035, 46.01.260, 46.20.293, 46.55.105, 46.63.020, and
46.64.025; adding a new section to chapter 46.52 RCW; and repealing RCW
46.52.100 and 46.61.475.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE
LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec.
1. RCW
7.68.035 and 1997 c 66 s 9 are each amended to read as follows:
(1)(a)
Whenever any person is found guilty in any superior court of having committed a
crime, except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, there shall be
imposed by the court upon such convicted person a penalty assessment. The
assessment shall be in addition to any other penalty or fine imposed by law and
shall be five hundred dollars for each case or cause of action that includes
one or more convictions of a felony or gross misdemeanor and two hundred fifty
dollars for any case or cause of action that includes convictions of only one
or more misdemeanors.
(b)
Whenever any juvenile is adjudicated of any offense in any juvenile offense
disposition under Title 13 RCW, except as provided in subsection (2) of this
section, there shall be imposed upon the juvenile offender a penalty
assessment. The assessment shall be in addition to any other penalty or fine
imposed by law and shall be one hundred dollars for each case or cause of
action that includes one or more adjudications for a felony or gross
misdemeanor and seventy-five dollars for each case or cause of action that
includes adjudications of only one or more misdemeanors.
(2)
The assessment imposed by subsection (1) of this section shall not apply to
motor vehicle crimes defined in Title 46 RCW except those defined in the
following sections: RCW 46.61.520, 46.61.522, 46.61.024, 46.52.090, 46.70.140,
46.61.502, 46.61.504, ((46.52.100)) section 4 of this act,
46.20.410, 46.52.020, 46.10.130, 46.09.130, 46.61.5249, 46.61.525, 46.61.685,
46.61.530, 46.61.500, 46.61.015, 46.52.010, 46.44.180, 46.10.090(2), and
46.09.120(2).
(3)
Whenever any person accused of having committed a crime posts bail in superior
court pursuant to the provisions of chapter 10.19 RCW and such bail is
forfeited, there shall be deducted from the proceeds of such forfeited bail a
penalty assessment, in addition to any other penalty or fine imposed by law,
equal to the assessment which would be applicable under subsection (1) of this
section if the person had been convicted of the crime.
(4)
Such penalty assessments shall be paid by the clerk of the superior court to
the county treasurer who shall monthly transmit the money as provided in RCW
10.82.070. Each county shall deposit fifty percent of the money it receives
per case or cause of action under subsection (1) of this section and retains
under RCW 10.82.070, not less than one and seventy-five one-hundredths percent
of the remaining money it retains under RCW 10.82.070 and the money it retains
under chapter 3.62 RCW, and all money it receives under subsection (7) of this
section into a fund maintained exclusively for the support of comprehensive
programs to encourage and facilitate testimony by the victims of crimes and
witnesses to crimes. A program shall be considered "comprehensive"
only after approval of the department upon application by the county prosecuting
attorney. The department shall approve as comprehensive only programs which:
(a)
Provide comprehensive services to victims and witnesses of all types of crime
with particular emphasis on serious crimes against persons and property. It is
the intent of the legislature to make funds available only to programs which do
not restrict services to victims or witnesses of a particular type or types of
crime and that such funds supplement, not supplant, existing local funding
levels;
(b)
Are administered by the county prosecuting attorney either directly through the
prosecuting attorney's office or by contract between the county and agencies
providing services to victims of crime;
(c)
Make a reasonable effort to inform the known victim or his surviving dependents
of the existence of this chapter and the procedure for making application for
benefits;
(d)
Assist victims in the restitution and adjudication process; and
(e)
Assist victims of violent crimes in the preparation and presentation of their
claims to the department of labor and industries under this chapter.
Before
a program in any county west of the Cascade mountains is submitted to the
department for approval, it shall be submitted for review and comment to each
city within the county with a population of more than one hundred fifty
thousand. The department will consider if the county's proposed comprehensive
plan meets the needs of crime victims in cases adjudicated in municipal,
district or superior courts and of crime victims located within the city and
county.
(5)
Upon submission to the department of a letter of intent to adopt a
comprehensive program, the prosecuting attorney shall retain the money
deposited by the county under subsection (4) of this section until such time as
the county prosecuting attorney has obtained approval of a program from the
department. Approval of the comprehensive plan by the department must be
obtained within one year of the date of the letter of intent to adopt a
comprehensive program. The county prosecuting attorney shall not make any
expenditures from the money deposited under subsection (4) of this section
until approval of a comprehensive plan by the department. If a county
prosecuting attorney has failed to obtain approval of a program from the
department under subsection (4) of this section or failed to obtain approval of
a comprehensive program within one year after submission of a letter of intent
under this section, the county treasurer shall monthly transmit one hundred
percent of the money deposited by the county under subsection (4) of this
section to the state treasurer for deposit in the public safety and education
account established under RCW 43.08.250.
(6)
County prosecuting attorneys are responsible to make every reasonable effort to
insure that the penalty assessments of this chapter are imposed and collected.
(7)
Every city and town shall transmit monthly one and seventy-five one-hundredths
percent of all money, other than money received for parking infractions,
retained under RCW 3.46.120, 3.50.100, and 35.20.220 to the county treasurer
for deposit as provided in subsection (4) of this section.
Sec.
2. RCW
46.01.260 and 1998 c 207 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:
(1)
Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, the director, in his or
her discretion, may destroy applications for vehicle licenses, copies of
vehicle licenses issued, applications for drivers' licenses, copies of issued
drivers' licenses, certificates of title and registration or other documents,
records or supporting papers on file in his or her office which have been
microfilmed or photographed or are more than five years old. If the
applications for vehicle licenses are renewal applications, the director may
destroy such applications when the computer record thereof has been updated.
(2)(a)
The director shall not destroy records of convictions or adjudications of RCW
46.61.520 and 46.61.522 or records of deferred prosecutions granted under RCW
10.05.120 and shall maintain such records permanently on file.
(b)
The director shall not, within fifteen years from the date of conviction or
adjudication, destroy records of the following:
(i)
Convictions or adjudications of the following offenses: RCW 46.61.502 or
46.61.504; or
(ii)
If the offense was originally charged as one of the offenses designated in (a)
or (b)(i) of this subsection, convictions or adjudications of the following
offenses: RCW 46.61.500 or 46.61.5249 or any other violation that was
originally charged as one of the offenses designated in (a) or (b)(i) of this
subsection.
(c)
For purposes of section 4 of this act and RCW ((46.52.100 and))
46.52.130, offenses subject to this subsection shall be considered
"alcohol-related" offenses.
Sec.
3. RCW
46.20.293 and 1990 c 250 s 44 are each amended to read as follows:
The
department is authorized to provide juvenile courts with the department's
record of traffic charges compiled under section 4 of this act and RCW
((46.52.100 and)) 13.50.200, against any minor upon the request of any
state juvenile court or duly authorized officer of any juvenile court of this
state. Further, the department is authorized to provide any juvenile court
with any requested service which the department can reasonably perform which is
not inconsistent with its legal authority which substantially aids juvenile
courts in handling traffic cases and which promotes highway safety.
The
department is authorized to furnish to the parent, parents, or guardian of any
person under eighteen years of age who is not emancipated from such parent,
parents, or guardian, the department records of traffic charges compiled
against the person and shall collect for the copy a fee of four dollars and
fifty cents to be deposited in the highway safety fund.
NEW
SECTION. Sec. 4. A
new section is added to chapter 46.52 RCW to read as follows:
(1)
Every district court, municipal court, and clerk of a superior court shall keep
or cause to be kept a record of every traffic complaint, traffic citation,
notice of infraction, or other legal form of traffic charge deposited with or
presented to the court or a traffic violations bureau, and shall keep a record
of every official action by the court or its traffic violations bureau
regarding the charge, including but not limited to a record of every
conviction, forfeiture of bail, judgment of acquittal, finding that a traffic
infraction has been committed, dismissal of a notice of infraction, and the amount
of fine, forfeiture, or penalty resulting from every traffic charge deposited
with or presented to the court or traffic violations bureau. In the case of a
record of a conviction for a violation of RCW 46.61.502 or 46.61.504, and
notwithstanding any other provision of law, the court shall maintain the record
permanently.
(2)
Within fourteen days after the conviction, forfeiture of bail, or finding that
a traffic infraction was committed for a violation of any provisions of this
chapter or other law regulating the operating of vehicles on highways, the
clerk of the court in which the conviction was had, bail was forfeited, or the
finding of commission was made shall prepare and immediately forward to the
director of licensing at Olympia an abstract of the court record covering the
case. Report need not be made of a finding involving the illegal parking or
standing of a vehicle.
(3)
The abstract must be made upon a form or forms furnished by the director and
must include the name and address of the party charged, the number, if any, of
the party's driver's or chauffeur's license, the registration number of the
vehicle involved if required by the director, the nature of the offense, the
date of hearing, the plea, the judgment, whether the offense was an
alcohol-related offense as defined in RCW 46.01.260(2), whether the incident
that gave rise to the offense charged resulted in a fatality, whether bail was
forfeited, whether the determination that a traffic infraction was committed
was contested, and the amount of the fine, forfeiture, or penalty, as the case
may be.
(4)
In courts where the judicial information system or other secure method of
electronic transfer of information has been implemented between the court and
the department of licensing, the court may electronically provide the
information required in subsections (2), (3), and (5) of this section.
(5)
The superior court clerk shall also forward a like report to the director upon
the conviction of a person of a felony in the commission of which a vehicle was
used.
(6)
The director shall keep all abstracts received under this section at the
director's office in Olympia. The abstracts must be open to public inspection
during reasonable business hours.
(7) The officer, prosecuting attorney, or city attorney signing the
charge or information in a case involving a charge of driving under the
influence of intoxicating liquor or any drug shall immediately request from the
director an abstract of convictions and forfeitures. The director shall furnish
the requested abstract.
Sec.
5. RCW
46.55.105 and 1998 c 203 s 2 are each amended to read as follows:
(1)
The abandonment of any vehicle creates a prima facie presumption that the last
registered owner of record is responsible for the abandonment and is liable for
costs incurred in removing, storing, and disposing of the abandoned vehicle,
less amounts realized at auction.
(2)
If an unauthorized vehicle is found abandoned under subsection (1) of this
section and removed at the direction of law enforcement, the last registered
owner of record is guilty of a traffic infraction, unless the vehicle is
redeemed as provided in RCW 46.55.120. In addition to any other monetary
penalty payable under chapter 46.63 RCW, the court shall not consider all
monetary penalties as having been paid until the court is satisfied that the
person found to have committed the infraction has made restitution in the
amount of the deficiency remaining after disposal of the vehicle under RCW
46.55.140.
(3)
A vehicle theft report filed with a law enforcement agency relieves the last
registered owner of liability under subsection (2) of this section for failure
to redeem the vehicle. However, the last registered owner remains liable for
the costs incurred in removing, storing, and disposing of the abandoned vehicle
under subsection (1) of this section. Nothing in this section limits in any
way the registered owner's rights in a civil action or as restitution in a
criminal action against a person responsible for the theft of the vehicle.
(4)
Properly filing a report of sale or transfer regarding the vehicle involved in
accordance with RCW 46.12.101(1) relieves the last registered owner of
liability under subsections (1) and (2) of this section. If the date of sale
as indicated on the report of sale is on or before the date of impoundment, the
buyer identified on the latest properly filed report of sale with the
department is assumed liable for the costs incurred in removing, storing, and
disposing of the abandoned vehicle, less amounts realized at auction. If the
date of sale is after the date of impoundment, the previous registered owner is
assumed to be liable for such costs. A licensed vehicle dealer is not liable
under subsections (1) and (2) of this section if the dealer, as transferee or
assignee of the last registered owner of the vehicle involved, has complied
with the requirements of RCW 46.70.122 upon selling or otherwise disposing of
the vehicle, or if the dealer has timely filed a transitional ownership record
or report of sale under RCW 46.12.103. In that case the person to whom the
licensed vehicle dealer has sold or transferred the vehicle is assumed liable
for the costs incurred in removing, storing, and disposing of the abandoned
vehicle, less amounts realized at auction.
(5)
For the purposes of reporting notices of traffic infraction to the department
under RCW 46.20.270 and ((46.52.100)) section 4 of this act, and
for purposes of reporting notices of failure to appear, respond, or comply
regarding a notice of traffic infraction to the department under RCW
46.63.070(5), a traffic infraction under subsection (2) of this section is not
considered to be a standing, stopping, or parking violation.
(6)
A notice of infraction for a violation of this section may be filed with a
court of limited jurisdiction organized under Title 3, 35, or 35A RCW, or with
a violations bureau subject to the court's jurisdiction.
Sec.
6. RCW
46.63.020 and 1998 c 294 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:
Failure
to perform any act required or the performance of any act prohibited by this
title or an equivalent administrative regulation or local law, ordinance,
regulation, or resolution relating to traffic including parking, standing,
stopping, and pedestrian offenses, is designated as a traffic infraction and
may not be classified as a criminal offense, except for an offense contained in
the following provisions of this title or a violation of an equivalent
administrative regulation or local law, ordinance, regulation, or resolution:
(1)
RCW 46.09.120(2) relating to the operation of a nonhighway vehicle while under
the influence of intoxicating liquor or a controlled substance;
(2)
RCW 46.09.130 relating to operation of nonhighway vehicles;
(3)
RCW 46.10.090(2) relating to the operation of a snowmobile while under the
influence of intoxicating liquor or narcotics or habit‑forming drugs or
in a manner endangering the person of another;
(4)
RCW 46.10.130 relating to the operation of snowmobiles;
(5)
Chapter 46.12 RCW relating to certificates of ownership and registration and
markings indicating that a vehicle has been destroyed or declared a total loss;
(6)
RCW 46.16.010 relating to initial registration of motor vehicles;
(7)
RCW 46.16.011 relating to permitting unauthorized persons to drive;
(8)
RCW 46.16.160 relating to vehicle trip permits;
(9)
RCW 46.16.381(2) relating to knowingly providing false information in
conjunction with an application for a special placard or license plate for
disabled persons' parking;
(10)
RCW 46.20.005 relating to driving without a valid driver's license;
(11)
RCW 46.20.091 relating to false statements regarding a driver's license or
instruction permit;
(12)
RCW 46.20.336 relating to the unlawful possession and use of a driver's
license;
(13)
RCW 46.20.342 relating to driving with a suspended or revoked license or
status;
(14)
RCW 46.20.410 relating to the violation of restrictions of an occupational
driver's license;
(15)
RCW 46.20.420 relating to the operation of a motor vehicle with a suspended or
revoked license;
(16)
RCW 46.20.740 relating to operation of a motor vehicle without an ignition
interlock device in violation of a license notation that the device is
required;
(17)
RCW 46.20.750 relating to assisting another person to start a vehicle equipped
with an ignition interlock device;
(18)
RCW 46.25.170 relating to commercial driver's licenses;
(19)
Chapter 46.29 RCW relating to financial responsibility;
(20)
RCW 46.30.040 relating to providing false evidence of financial responsibility;
(21)
RCW 46.37.435 relating to wrongful installation of sunscreening material;
(22)
RCW 46.44.180 relating to operation of mobile home pilot vehicles;
(23)
RCW 46.48.175 relating to the transportation of dangerous articles;
(24)
RCW 46.52.010 relating to duty on striking an unattended car or other property;
(25)
RCW 46.52.020 relating to duty in case of injury to or death of a person or
damage to an attended vehicle;
(26)
RCW 46.52.090 relating to reports by repairmen, storagemen, and appraisers;
(27)
((RCW 46.52.100 relating to driving under the influence of liquor or drugs;
(28))) RCW
46.52.130 relating to confidentiality of the driving record to be furnished to
an insurance company, an employer, and an alcohol/drug assessment or treatment
agency;
(((29)))
(28) RCW 46.55.020 relating to engaging in the activities of a
registered tow truck operator without a registration certificate;
(((30)))
(29) RCW 46.55.035 relating to prohibited practices by tow truck
operators;
(((31)))
(30) RCW 46.61.015 relating to obedience to police officers, flagmen, or
fire fighters;
(((32)))
(31) RCW 46.61.020 relating to refusal to give information to or
cooperate with an officer;
(((33)))
(32) RCW 46.61.022 relating to failure to stop and give identification
to an officer;
(((34)))
(33) RCW 46.61.024 relating to attempting to elude pursuing police
vehicles;
(((35)))
(34) RCW 46.61.500 relating to reckless driving;
(((36)))
(35) RCW 46.61.502 and 46.61.504 relating to persons under the influence
of intoxicating liquor or drugs;
(((37)))
(36) RCW 46.61.503 relating to a person under age twenty-one driving a
motor vehicle after consuming alcohol;
(((38)))
(37) RCW 46.61.520 relating to vehicular homicide by motor vehicle;
(((39)))
(38) RCW 46.61.522 relating to vehicular assault;
(((40)))
(39) RCW 46.61.5249 relating to first degree negligent driving;
(((41)))
(40) RCW 46.61.527(4) relating to reckless endangerment of roadway
workers;
(((42)))
(41) RCW 46.61.530 relating to racing of vehicles on highways;
(((43)))
(42) RCW 46.61.685 relating to leaving children in an unattended vehicle
with the motor running;
(((44)))
(43) RCW 46.64.010 relating to unlawful cancellation of or attempt to
cancel a traffic citation;
(((45)))
(44) RCW 46.64.048 relating to attempting, aiding, abetting, coercing,
and committing crimes;
(((46)))
(45) Chapter 46.65 RCW relating to habitual traffic offenders;
(((47)))
(46) RCW 46.68.010 relating to false statements made to obtain a refund;
(((48)))
(47) Chapter 46.70 RCW relating to unfair motor vehicle business
practices, except where that chapter provides for the assessment of monetary
penalties of a civil nature;
(((49)))
(48) Chapter 46.72 RCW relating to the transportation of passengers in
for hire vehicles;
(((50)))
(49) RCW 46.72A.060 relating to limousine carrier insurance;
(((51)))
(50) RCW 46.72A.070 relating to operation of a limousine without a
vehicle certificate;
(((52)))
(51) RCW 46.72A.080 relating to false advertising by a limousine
carrier;
(((53)))
(52) Chapter 46.80 RCW relating to motor vehicle wreckers;
(((54)))
(53) Chapter 46.82 RCW relating to driver's training schools;
(((55)))
(54) RCW 46.87.260 relating to alteration or forgery of a cab card,
letter of authority, or other temporary authority issued under chapter 46.87
RCW;
(((56)))
(55) RCW 46.87.290 relating to operation of an unregistered or
unlicensed vehicle under chapter 46.87 RCW.
Sec.
7. RCW
46.64.025 and 1979 c 158 s 175 are each amended to read as follows:
Whenever
any person ((has for a period of fifteen or more days violated)) violates
his or her written promise to appear in court, or fails to appear for
a scheduled court hearing, the court in which the defendant ((so
promised)) failed to appear shall ((forthwith)) promptly
give notice of such fact to the department of licensing. Whenever thereafter
the case in which ((such promise was given)) the defendant failed to
appear is adjudicated, the court hearing the case shall promptly
file with the department a certificate showing that the case has been
adjudicated.
NEW
SECTION. Sec. 8. The
following acts or parts of acts are each repealed:
(1) RCW
46.52.100 and 1998 c 204 s 1, 1998 c 165 s 9, 1995 c 219 s 3, 1994
c 275 s 15, 1991 c 363 s 123, 1987 c 3 s 18, 1985 c 302 s 6, & 1983 c 2 s
12; and
(2) RCW
46.61.475 and 1965 ex.s. c 155 s 58.
