(1) Beginning November 1, 2008, all bail bond agents and qualified agent applicants must provide proof of twelve hours of training or take a written state exam and achieve a passing score of at least eighty-five percent.

(a) The prelicense training must consist of eight hours of instruction provided by a credentialed trainer or other department approved source in the topic requirements listed below in subsection (3) of this section;

(b) The prelicense training must also consist of four hours of self study or formal training in the laws and rules relating to bail bonds.

(2) Proof of the eight hours of prelicense instruction provided by a credentialed trainer or other department approved source must be submitted with the bail bond agent or qualified agent application form provided by the department.

(3) The prelicense bail bond agent training topic requirements include:

(a) The basics of bail bonds;

(b) Responsibilities of a bail bond agent;

(d) Court jurisdiction;

(e) Articulated offense;

(f) Understanding the liability in surety bonds;

(g) Role in criminal justice;

(h) The rights of the clients;

(i) Ethics pertaining to how to treat your clients;

(j) Sexual harassment between agents and clients;

(k) Transporting clients;

(l) Phone service in jails;

(m) How to be in compliance with jail requirements;

(n) Collect call companies;

(o) Harassment and no contact orders of the client;

(p) Collateral;

(q) General recordkeeping;

(r) Contracts;

(s) Basic requirements of bail bond recovery agents;

(t) Understanding of the privacy laws;

(u) The basics of notaries;

(v) Basic understanding of the trust account; and

(w) Application of the Consumer Protection Act.

(4) Approved sources for bail bond agent prelicense training include:

(a) National or local industry associations;

(b) Certified bail agent online education courses;

(d) Other sources determined by the department.

(5) The examination requirement for qualified bail bond agent license applicants under RCW 18.185.030 (1)(a), shall also include, as a minimum:

(a) All of the subjects as listed in subsection (3) of this section; and

(b) At a minimum, the following subjects:

(i) Recordkeeping and filing;

(ii) Business licensing, taxation and related reporting and recordkeeping requirements.

(iii) Personnel management;

(iv) Laws relating to employment;

(v) The Americans with Disabilities Act;

(6) A score of eighty-five percent must be achieved in order to pass the examination. Applicants who fail to achieve an eighty-five percent score will be required to wait a minimum of seven days before reexamination.

PDFWAC 308-19-300

Prelicense training and examination requirements for bail bond agents, bail bond agency, and qualified bail bond agent license applicants.