BILL REQ. #:  S-0503.1 

Read first time 01/17/2003.   Referred to Committee on Children & Family Services & Corrections.

     AN ACT Relating to court-ordered restitution; amending RCW 9.94A.750; and reenacting and amending RCW 9.94A.753.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 9.94A.750 and 2000 c 28 s 32 are each amended to read as follows:
     This section applies to offenses committed on or before July 1, 1985.
     (1) If restitution is ordered, the court shall determine the amount of restitution due at the sentencing hearing or within one hundred eighty days. The court may continue the hearing beyond the one hundred eighty days for good cause. The court shall then set a minimum monthly payment that the offender is required to make towards the restitution that is ordered. The court shall not issue any order that postpones the commencement of restitution payments until after the offender is released from total confinement. 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.
     (2) 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.
     (3) Except as provided in subsection (6) of this section, 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 offense.
     (4) For the purposes of this section, the offender shall remain under the court's jurisdiction for a 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. Prior to the expiration of the initial ten-year period, the superior court may extend jurisdiction under the criminal judgment an additional ten years for payment of restitution. If jurisdiction under the criminal judgment is extended, the department is not responsible for supervision of the offender during the subsequent period. The portion of the sentence concerning restitution may be modified as to amount, terms and conditions during either the initial ten-year period or subsequent ten-year period if the criminal judgment is extended, regardless of the expiration of the offender's term of community supervision and regardless of the statutory maximum sentence for the crime. The court may not reduce the total amount of restitution ordered because the offender may lack the ability to pay the total amount. The offender's compliance with the restitution shall be supervised by the department.
     (5) 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 or as provided in subsection (6) of this section. 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.
     (6) Restitution for the crime of rape of a child in the first, second, or third degree, in which the victim becomes pregnant, shall include: (a) All of the victim's medical expenses that are associated with the rape and resulting pregnancy; and (b) child support for any child born as a result of the rape if child support is ordered pursuant to a proceeding in superior court or administrative order for support for that child. The clerk must forward any restitution payments made on behalf of the victim's child to the Washington state child support registry under chapter 26.23 RCW. Identifying information about the victim and child shall not be included in the order. The offender shall receive a credit against any obligation owing under the administrative or superior court order for support of the victim's child. For the purposes of this subsection, the offender shall remain under the court's jurisdiction until the offender has satisfied support obligations under the superior court or administrative order but not longer than a maximum term of twenty-five years following the offender's release from total confinement or twenty-five years subsequent to the entry of the judgment and sentence, whichever period is longer. The court may not reduce the total amount of restitution ordered because the offender may lack the ability to pay the total amount. The department shall supervise the offender's compliance with the restitution ordered under this subsection.
     (7) In addition to any sentence that may be imposed, an offender 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.
     (8) This section does not limit civil remedies or defenses available to the victim or offender including support enforcement remedies for support ordered under subsection (6) of this section for a child born as a result of a rape of a child victim. The court shall identify in the judgment and sentence the victim or victims entitled to restitution and what amount is due each victim. The state or victim may enforce the court-ordered restitution in the same manner as a judgment in a civil action. Restitution collected through civil enforcement must be paid through the registry of the court and must be distributed proportionately according to each victim's loss when there is more than one victim.

Sec. 2   RCW 9.94A.753 and 2000 c 226 s 3 and 2000 c 28 s 33 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:
     This section applies to offenses committed after July 1, 1985.
     (1) When restitution is ordered, the court shall determine the amount of restitution due at the sentencing hearing or within one hundred eighty days except as provided in subsection (7) of this section. The court may continue the hearing beyond the one hundred eighty days for good cause. The court shall then set a minimum monthly payment that the offender is required to make towards the restitution that is ordered. The court shall not issue any order that postpones the commencement of restitution payments until after the offender is released from total confinement. 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.
     (2) 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.
     (3) Except as provided in subsection (6) of this section, 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.
     (4) For the purposes of this section, for an offense committed prior to July 1, 2000, the offender shall remain under the court's jurisdiction for a 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 ends later. Prior to the expiration of the initial ten-year period, the superior court may extend jurisdiction under the criminal judgment an additional ten years for payment of restitution. For an offense committed on or after July 1, 2000, the offender shall remain under the court's jurisdiction until the obligation is completely satisfied, regardless of the statutory maximum for the crime. The portion of the sentence concerning restitution may be modified as to amount, terms, and conditions during any period of time the offender remains under the court's jurisdiction, regardless of the expiration of the offender's term of community supervision and regardless of the statutory maximum sentence for the crime. The court may not reduce the total amount of restitution ordered because the offender may lack the ability to pay the total amount. The offender's compliance with the restitution shall be supervised by the department for ten years following the entry of the judgment and sentence or ten years following the offender's release from total confinement. The department is not responsible for supervision of the offender during any subsequent period of time the offender remains under the court's jurisdiction.
     (5) 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 or as provided in subsection (6) of this section 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.
     (6) Restitution for the crime of rape of a child in the first, second, or third degree, in which the victim becomes pregnant, shall include: (a) All of the victim's medical expenses that are associated with the rape and resulting pregnancy; and (b) child support for any child born as a result of the rape if child support is ordered pursuant to a civil superior court or administrative order for support for that child. The clerk must forward any restitution payments made on behalf of the victim's child to the Washington state child support registry under chapter 26.23 RCW. Identifying information about the victim and child shall not be included in the order. The offender shall receive a credit against any obligation owing under the administrative or superior court order for support of the victim's child. For the purposes of this subsection, the offender shall remain under the court's jurisdiction until the offender has satisfied support obligations under the superior court or administrative order for the period provided in RCW 4.16.020 or a maximum term of twenty-five years following the offender's release from total confinement or twenty-five years subsequent to the entry of the judgment and sentence, whichever period is longer. The court may not reduce the total amount of restitution ordered because the offender may lack the ability to pay the total amount. The department shall supervise the offender's compliance with the restitution ordered under this subsection.
     (7) Regardless of the provisions of subsections (1) through (6) of this section, the court shall order restitution in all cases where the victim is entitled to benefits under the crime victims' compensation act, chapter 7.68 RCW. If the court does not order restitution and the victim of the crime has been determined to be entitled to benefits under the crime victims' compensation act, the department of labor and industries, as administrator of the crime victims' compensation program, may petition the court within one year of entry of the judgment and sentence for entry of a restitution order. Upon receipt of a petition from the department of labor and industries, the court shall hold a restitution hearing and shall enter a restitution order.
     (8) In addition to any sentence that may be imposed, an offender 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.
     (9) This section does not limit civil remedies or defenses available to the victim, survivors of the victim, or offender including support enforcement remedies for support ordered under subsection (6) of this section for a child born as a result of a rape of a child victim. The court shall identify in the judgment and sentence the victim or victims entitled to restitution and what amount is due each victim. The state or victim may enforce the court-ordered restitution in the same manner as a judgment in a civil action. Restitution collected through civil enforcement must be paid through the registry of the court and must be distributed proportionately according to each victim's loss when there is more than one victim.