SENATE BILL REPORT
SHB 1793
As Reported By Senate Committee On:
Judiciary, March 29, 2001
Ways & Means, April 2, 2001
Title: An act relating to court filing fees.
Brief Description: Revising court filing fees for tax warrants and recovery of state agency overpayments.
Sponsors: By House Committee on Judiciary (originally sponsored by Representatives Hatfield and McDermott).
Brief History:
Committee Activity: Judiciary: 3/29/01 [DP].
Ways & Means: 4/2/01 [DP].
SENATE COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY
Majority Report: Do pass.
Signed by Senators Kline, Chair; Constantine, Vice Chair; Costa, Hargrove, Johnson, Kastama, Long, McCaslin, Thibaudeau and Zarelli.
Staff: Aldo Melchiori (786‑7439)
SENATE COMMITTEE ON WAYS & MEANS
Majority Report: Do pass.
Signed by Senators Brown, Chair; Constantine, Vice Chair; Fairley, Vice Chair; Fraser, Hewitt, Honeyford, Kline, Kohl‑Welles, Long, Parlette, Rasmussen, Regala, Roach, Rossi, Sheahan, B. Sheldon, Snyder, Spanel, Thibaudeau, Winsley and Zarelli.
Staff: David Schumacher (786-7474)
Background: There is a $5 fee, paid to the county, for filing warrants for unpaid taxes and recovery of overpayments of state benefits. This fee for filing unpaid tax warrants has not been changed since 1963. Tax warrants filed by the state Department of Revenue are also subject to division, with 46 percent of the fee deposited in the public safety and education account.
Summary of Bill: The fees, after July 1, 2003, for filing tax warrants for unpaid taxes or recovery of overpayments of benefits by any state agency are raised from $5 to $20. Forty-six percent of the first $5 collected for these fees is directed to the public safety and education account.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Not requested.
Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.
Testimony For: It takes a great deal of work and time to open files. County clerks are not being adequately compensated for their time and effort.
Testimony Against: None.
Testified: Representative Brian Hatfield; Betty Gould, Thurston County Clerk, Washington Association of County Clerks; Kenneth Kunes, Grant County Clerk.