BILL REQ. #:  H-0025.3 

Read first time 01/18/11.   Referred to Committee on Judiciary.

     AN ACT Relating to court-ordered legal financial obligations collected by the county clerks; and amending RCW 2.56.190, 4.56.190, 9.94A.7606, 9.94A.7607, 9.94A.7608, and 9.94A.7609.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 2.56.190 and 2003 c 379 s 21 are each amended to read as follows:
     By October 1, 2003, and annually thereafter, the administrative office of the courts shall distribute such funds to counties for county clerk collection budgets as are appropriated by the legislature for this purpose, using the funding formula recommended by the Washington association of county officials. The administrative office of the courts shall not deduct any amount for indirect or direct costs, and shall distribute the entire amount appropriated by the legislature to the counties for county clerk collection budgets. The legal financial obligations funds shall not be subject to the administrative office of the courts administrative budget reductions or other budget reductions by the administrative office of the courts. Said funds shall not be deemed to have been reduced unless specifically identified by the legislature. The administrative office of the courts shall report on the amounts distributed to counties to the appropriate committees of the legislature no later than December 1, 2003, and annually thereafter.
     The administrative office of the courts may expend for the purposes of billing for legal financial obligations, such funds as are appropriated for the legislature for this purpose.

Sec. 2   RCW 4.56.190 and 1994 c 189 s 3 are each amended to read as follows:
     The real estate of any judgment debtor, and such as the judgment debtor may acquire, not exempt by law, shall be held and bound to satisfy any judgment of the district court of the United States rendered in this state and any judgment of the supreme court, court of appeals, superior court, or district court of this state, and every such judgment shall be a lien thereupon to commence as provided in RCW 4.56.200 and to run for a period of not to exceed ten years from the day on which such judgment was entered unless the ten-year period is extended in accordance with RCW 6.17.020(3), or unless the judgment results from a criminal sentence for a crime that was committed on or after July 1, 2000, in which case the lien will remain in effect until the judgment is fully satisfied. As used in this chapter, real estate shall not include the vendor's interest under a real estate contract for judgments rendered after August 23, 1983. If a judgment debtor owns real estate, subject to execution, jointly or in common with any other person, the judgment shall be a lien on the interest of the defendant only.
     Personal property of the judgment debtor shall be held only from the time it is actually levied upon.

Sec. 3   RCW 9.94A.7606 and 1991 c 93 s 7 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The department or county clerk may issue to any person or entity, except to the department, an order to withhold and deliver property of any kind, including but not restricted to, earnings that are due, owing, or belonging to the offender, if the department or county clerk has reason to believe that there is in the possession of such person or entity, property that is due, owing, or belonging to the offender. Such order to withhold and deliver may be issued when a court-ordered legal financial obligation payment is past due:
     (a) If an offender's judgment and sentence or a subsequent order to pay includes a statement that other income-withholding action under this chapter may be taken without further notice to the offender.
     (b) If a judgment and sentence or a subsequent order to pay does not include the statement that other income-withholding action under this chapter may be taken without further notice to the offender but the department or county clerk has served a notice on the offender stating such requirements and authorizations. The service shall have been made by personal service or any form of mail requiring a return receipt.
     (2) The order to withhold and deliver shall:
     (a) Include the amount of the court-ordered legal financial obligation;
     (b) Contain a summary of moneys that may be exempt from the order to withhold and deliver and a summary of the civil liability upon failure to comply with the order; and
     (c) Be served by personal service or by any form of mail requiring a return receipt.
     (3) The department or county clerk shall also, on or before the date of service of the order to withhold and deliver, mail or cause to be mailed by any form of mail requiring a return receipt, a copy of the order to withhold and deliver to the offender at the offender's last known post office address, or, in the alternative, a copy of the order shall be personally served on the offender on or before the date of service of the order or within two days thereafter. The copy of the order shall be mailed or served together with an explanation of the right to petition for judicial review. If the copy is not mailed or served as this section provides, or if any irregularity appears with respect to the mailing or service, the superior court, in its discretion on motion of the offender promptly made and supported by affidavit showing that the offender has suffered substantial injury due to the failure to mail the copy, may set aside the order to withhold and deliver.

Sec. 4   RCW 9.94A.7607 and 1991 c 93 s 8 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) A person or entity upon whom service has been made is hereby required to:
     (a) Answer the order to withhold and deliver within twenty days, exclusive of the day of service, under oath and in writing, and shall make true answers to the matters inquired of in the order; and
     (b) Provide further and additional answers when requested by the department or county clerk.
     (2) Any person or entity in possession of any property that may be subject to the order to withhold and deliver shall:
     (a)(i) Immediately withhold such property upon receipt of the order to withhold and deliver;
     (ii) Deliver the property to the appropriate clerk of the court as soon as the twenty-day answer period expires;
     (iii) Continue to withhold earnings payable to the offender at each succeeding disbursement interval and deliver amounts withheld from earnings to the appropriate clerk of the court within ten days of the date earnings are payable to the offender;
     (iv) Inform the department or county clerk of the date the amounts were withheld as requested under this section; or
     (b) Furnish the appropriate clerk of the court a good and sufficient bond, satisfactory to the clerk, conditioned upon final determination of liability.
     (3) Where money is due and owing under any contract of employment, expressed or implied, or other employment arrangement, or is held by any person or entity subject to withdrawal by the offender, the money shall be delivered by remittance payable to the order of the appropriate clerk of the court.
     (4) Delivery to the appropriate clerk of the court of the money or other property held or claimed shall satisfy the requirement and serve as full acquittance of the order to withhold and deliver.
     (5) The person or entity required to withhold and deliver the earnings of a debtor under this action may deduct a processing fee from the remainder of the offender's earnings, even if the remainder would otherwise be exempt under RCW 9.94A.761. The processing fee may not exceed:
     (a) Ten dollars for the first disbursement to the appropriate clerk of the court; and
     (b) One dollar for each subsequent disbursement.
     (6) A person or entity shall be liable to the obligee in an amount equal to one hundred percent of the value of the court-ordered legal financial obligation that is the basis of the order to withhold and deliver, or the amount that should have been withheld, whichever amount is less, together with costs, interest, and reasonable attorneys' fees if that person or entity fails or refuses to deliver property under the order.
     The department or county clerk is authorized to issue a notice of debt pursuant to and to take appropriate action to collect the debt under this chapter if a judgment has been entered as the result of an action by the court against a person or entity based on a violation of this section.
     (7) Persons or entities delivering money or property to the appropriate clerk of the court under this chapter shall not be held liable for wrongful delivery.
     (8) Persons or entities withholding money or property under this chapter shall not be held liable for wrongful withholding.

Sec. 5   RCW 9.94A.7608 and 1991 c 93 s 9 are each amended to read as follows:
     An order to withhold and deliver or any other income-withholding action authorized by this chapter may be served on the main office of a bank, savings and loan association, or credit union or on a branch office of the financial institution. Service on the main office shall be effective to attach the deposits of an offender in the financial institution and compensation payable for personal services due the offender from the financial institution. Service on a branch office shall be effective to attach the deposits, accounts, credits, or other personal property of the offender, excluding compensation payable for personal services, in the possession or control of the particular branch served.
     Notwithstanding any other provision of RCW 9.94A.760 and 9.94A.7601 through 9.94A.761, if the department or county clerk initiates collection action against a joint bank account, with or without the right of survivorship, or any other funds which are subject to the community property laws of this state, notice shall be given to all affected parties that the account or funds are subject to potential withholding. Such notice shall be by first-class mail, return receipt required, or by personal service and be given at least twenty calendar days before withholding is made. Upon receipt of such notice, the nonobligated person shall have ten calendar days to file a petition with the department or the superior court contesting the withholding of his or her interest in the account or funds. The department or county clerk shall provide notice of the right of the filing of the petition with the notice provided in this paragraph. If the petition is not filed within the period provided for herein, the department or county clerk is authorized to proceed with the collection action.

Sec. 6   RCW 9.94A.7609 and 1991 c 93 s 10 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) The department or county clerk may issue a notice of debt in order to enforce and collect a court-ordered legal financial obligation debt through either a notice of payroll deduction or an order to withhold and deliver.
     (2) The notice of debt may be personally served upon the offender or be mailed to the offender at his or her last known address by any form of mail requiring a return receipt, demanding payment within twenty days of the date of receipt.
     (3) The notice of debt shall include:
     (a) A statement of the total court-ordered legal financial obligation and the amount to be paid each month.
     (b) A statement that earnings are subject to a notice of payroll deduction.
     (c) A statement that earnings or property, or both, are subject to an order to withhold and deliver.
     (d) A statement that the net proceeds will be applied to the satisfaction of the court-ordered legal financial obligation.
     (4) Action to collect a court-ordered legal financial obligation by notice of payroll deduction or an order to withhold and deliver shall be lawful after twenty days from the date of service upon the offender or twenty days from the receipt or refusal by the offender of the notice of debt.
     (5) The notice of debt will take effect only if the offender's 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 owned.
     (6) The department or county clerk shall not be required to issue or serve the notice of debt in order to enforce and collect a court-ordered legal financial obligation debt through either a notice of payroll deduction or an order to withhold and deliver if either the offender's judgment and sentence or a subsequent order to pay includes a statement that income-withholding action under this chapter may be taken without further notice to the offender.